I have been following Martha and Pixel Lounge for some time now. She has inspired me to experiment with Photoshop. She has graciously provided instruction and free textures and overlays which my buddy B2y_ni has helped me implement. I have overcome my SOOC purist attitudes to wholeheartedly embrace the "art" of post production and acknowledge how important it can be to the creative process. Thank you Beethoven and Martha, this has changed everything....for me!

 

I used actions from Pixel Lounge...Soft Pink and Warm Vignette

During the 1950s, France embarked on an extensive military program to produce nuclear weapons; however, it was acknowledged that existing French aircraft were unsuitable for the task of delivering the weapons. Thus, the development of a supersonic bomber designed to carry out the delivery mission started in 1956 as a part of the wider development of France's independent nuclear deterrent. In May 1956, the Guy Mollet government drew up a specification for an aerially-refuelable supersonic bomber capable of carrying a 3-metric-ton, 5.2-metre-long nuclear bomb 2,000 km (without aerial refuelling). According to aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist, the specification's inclusion of supersonic speed was "surprising" to many at the time.

 

The final specifications, jointly defined by government authorities and Dassault staff, were approved on 20 March 1957. Sud Aviation and Nord Aviation both submitted competing proposals, both based on existing aircraft; Sud Aviation proposed the Super Vautour, a stretched Sud Aviation Vautour with 47 kilonewtons (10,500 lbf) thrust SNECMA Atar engines and a combat radius of 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) at Mach 0.9. Dassault's proposal for what became the Mirage IV was chosen on the basis of lower cost and anticipated simpler development, being based upon a proposed early 1956 twin-engined night-fighter derived from the Dassault Mirage III fighter and the unbuilt Mirage II interceptor. In April 1957, Dassault were informed that they had won the design competition.

 

Dassault's resulting prototype, dubbed Mirage IV 01, looked a lot like the Mirage IIIA, even though it had double the wing surface, two engines instead of one, and twice the unladen weight. The Mirage IV also carried three times more internal fuel than the Mirage III. The aircraft's aerodynamic features were very similar to the III's but required an entirely new structure and layout. This prototype was 20 metres (67 ft) long, had an 11 metres (37 ft) wingspan, 62 square metres (670 sq ft) of wing area, and weighed approximately 25,000 kilograms (55,000 lb). It was considerably more advanced than the Mirage III, incorporating new features such as machined and chem-milled planks, tapered sheets, a small amount of titanium, and integral fuel tanks in many locations including the leading portion of the tailfin.

 

The 01 was an experimental prototype built to explore and solve the problems stemming from prolonged supersonic flight. At the time, no aircraft had been designed to cruise at over Mach 1.8 for long periods of time and there were sizable technological and operational uncertainties. Weapon-related issues were another issue. Building the 01 in Dassault's Saint-Cloud plant near Paris took 18 months. In late 1958, the aircraft was transferred to the Melun-Villaroche flight testing area for finishing touches and ground tests. On 17 June 1959, French General Roland Glavany, on a five-year leave from the French Air Force since 1954, took the 01 for its maiden flight.

Sooooo I was at my girl's home, riding my stupid dead horse Dante. No, I'm not just being mean. Whilst I love him so much, I acknowledge that he's as dumb as a bag of hammers. He gets stuck in the trees, wanders off sim and gets returned, spins in circles and won't keep his nose out of Oriana's alicorn's ass.*

 

I was riding him today and thought HEY let me take my now-biweekly candid shot! So I initially stood him nicely on the jetty then thought - yanno, one of those horse riding waist deep along the shoreline pics would look really good. So I rode him out just a little bit more.

 

But.

 

Teegle horses swim when they go in water. I swear to Gaga I didn't know! Until, of course... glub glub. So I took advantage of the surprise bath and shot us both swimming for our - well not lives but certainly to maintain our lovely manes.

 

You can see more of Dante in all his undead glory here at the first version of this shoot.

  

#nofilter #nopose #noedit #inworldlighting

  

*Shut up you particular two, we do not have a lot in common.

As in most examples of basic truthiness, the reverse is also true. That is, it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man who works in the Botox industry, hardly ever finds himself in need of pickling.

 

And, as for the bifurcating Duchamps, there is no evidence that they ever met again after 'the split'.

 

Rumours that they are 'the twins' in 'Finnegans Wake' are dubious, to say the least, in spite of extensive, sadly lost, scholarship cobbled together by de Selby.

 

You be the judge, and all that palaver:

 

"^ Of the disorded visage.

 

* Singlebarrelled names for doubleparalleled twixtytwins.

 

^ Like pudging a spoon fist of sugans into a sotspot of choucolout. "

 

Page 286, 'Finnegans Wake', James Joyce

 

I rest my case, or at least suspend it over a widening knowledge abyss.

 

AI Overview (Google A.I.)

 

A human bifurcation is the division of a structure or a system into two branches, occurring in both anatomical structures like the trachea and blood vessels, and in dynamical systems where a small change in a parameter causes a dramatic qualitative change in the system's behavior. In anatomy, these are structural divisions, while in mathematical and biological modeling, they are points where a system's behavior shifts from one state to another, influencing everything from cardiac rhythms to neuronal firing.

 

Anatomical Bifurcations

 

Trachea: The windpipe (trachea) bifurcates into two bronchial tubes that deliver air to each lung.

Blood Vessels: Arteries branch into progressively smaller vessels, with the aorta splitting into the common iliac arteries in a significant bifurcation.

Nerves: Nerves also divide into smaller branches to reach different parts of the body.

 

Nice shirt, all the same.

One style sometimes acknowledges another. There is a place of reference at the beginning that sometimes is not the conclusion, rather it reveals a pathway with significant moments upon the journey. This figure laid out on the skyline goes through all the variations of the atmospheric conditions each year wearing snow and lush green growth with light and shadow from the Sun and from clouds. The diversity of each day and night bring about variations.

 

© PHH Sykes 2023

phhsykes@gmail.com

 

One style sometimes acknowledges another. There is a place of reference at the beginning that sometimes is not the conclusion, rather it reveals a pathway with significant moments upon the journey. This figure laid out on the skyline goes through all the variations of the atmospheric conditions each year wearing snow and lush green growth with light and shadow from the Sun and from clouds. The diversity of each day and night bring about variations.

 

© PHH Sykes 2023

phhsykes@gmail.com

 

Linda and I have been running crazy trying to set up our photo exhibit and me fighting the flu. Thanks for your kind wishes on our show!! If you are in the area on Friday evening we would love to see you !!

 

Snail Kites are highly endangered in Florida and continue to do poorly!! This year almost all the nests failed in South Florida, because of introduced Apple Snails and water levels !! This Snail Kite has just grabbed an Apple Snail and is just pulling it out of the water. Thanks again for looking and your wonderful comments !!

 

FLICKR CONTINUES TO MESS WITH THE RESOLUTION OF PHOTOS!!!

  

Please be advised that our images are fully protected by US Copyright Law. The images may not be downloaded for personal, commercial or educational use, copied to blogs, personal websites, used as wallpaper, screensavers, or be deeplinked, etc. With NO Exceptions. If you would like to use an image, you MUST contact us to obtain written permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining written permission.

The Sirotkin House, a former apartment building, is widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful buildings in the centre of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and is a national historic monument. At the time it was built, 1902, it was the highest residential building in Kyiv. It is located at the corner of Volodymyrska and Prorizna streets (official address is Volodymyrska Street, 39/24 or sometimes Prorizna Street, 24/39.

 

Built in 1899-1902 by the architectural firm of Shiman and Gilevich in neo-renaissance style with elements of baroque and early modernism, the first owner was Pavlo Grigorovich-Barsky, but after his bankruptcy the house became the property of Alexander Sirotkin.

 

Designed by architect Karl Schimann, Nikolai Grigorovich-Barsky began work on this dramatic house at the end of the sugar beet boom that saw riches flow into Kyiv that drove a building boom still visible in large sections of the present city centre. By the time the house was finished in 1901, however, the boom had turned to bust with a collapse in prices in an oversaturated housing market and Grigorovich-Barsky was no longer able to pay the bills. Some aspects of the house were also frankly jerry-built. At the end of 1901 the unfinished house was sold at auction to pay his debts. Alexander Sirotkin was the successful bidder and completed the construction, exterior and interior decoration of the house in 1902-1903, provided electric lighting and built an elevator. The ground floor units became popular for upmarket retail establishments.

 

Under the Soviet Union, the building was nationalised, housing bars and restaurants as well as dwellings, but in the second half of the 20th century, the residential part of the house gradually collapsed, and the original interior of the house, distinguished by magnificent stucco, rough with embossed tiles, was lost. In 1985–86 residents were evicted to facilitate a restoration. However, due to the difficult economic and political situation in the country, this did not begin and the house was left uninhabited. In 1992, a fire broke out, which destroyed part of the interior. Finally, in 1997-1999, the facades were reconstructed, along with the corner tower, destroyed in the 1950s, the exterior trim and wall paintings.

 

In 2004, the City sold the building to private investors for a hotel development. This was also blighted by disputes and took a long time to open.

 

This description incorporates translations from the Ukrainian Wikipedia.

YININMADYEMI Thou didst let fall - a War Memorial in Sydney's Hyde Park to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who served in Australia's military.

"The jewel of Ely's Crown and acknowledged as one of the wonders of the Medieval world.

 

Disaster struck on 13 February 1322, when the Norman central tower collapsed. The noise was so great that the monks thought there had been an earth quake. Alan of Walsingham, the monk responsible for the building, was deeply shocked. One of his fellow monks wrote: 'He was devastated, grieving vehemently and overcome with sorrow... that he knew not which way to turn himself or what to do for the reparation of such a ruin.'

 

As rebuilding commenced, firmer foundations were found further out from the original pillars, and from this evolved the idea of building an octagon surmounted by a lantern. Its width of 74 feet (23m) was too great to support a stone vault, and so it was built in wood and covered in lead.

 

A masterpiece of medieval engineering, it took 18 years to build. The internal height is 142 feet (43m), and its total weight is 400 tons. In the centre, John of Burwell (a village south-east of Ely), carved the beautiful Christ in Majesty. Thousands come to Ely to climb the tower and the internal wooden structure which has baffled architects for centuries." From the Ely Cathedral Ofiicial website

I take birthdays very seriously, in that I like to do more than just acknowledge them. It is a celebration of the beginning of a person's adventure in their current lifetime. It is a special moment to thank those who gave you life...it is a way to thank the world, all living things, your family, your friends... for their company in this life journey. I truly like to celebrate the blessing of birth. How fortunate, how wonderful that we were born!

 

EXPLORE image - #332 16 October 2007

 

On my Birthday, I thank you all my dear friends for your kindness, support, friendship...and I also want to celebrate that I am back here among my Flickr family!

 

And Happy Happy Bday to my dear buddy awedduck too!!! (we share this great day LOL)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a blogger armed with a pretty picture of cake can singlehandedly whip the ladies of the internet into an excited lather. Confirm or deny?

 

Oh. If you're wondering - that's a peppermint chocolate cupcake you're looking at. From Frankie's Afternoon Tea.

A candid moment, later acknowledged. Crowds gather in Ely’s Yard as doors open for the RCA2023: Graduate Show at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London. July 13, 2023. Photo: Edmond Terakopian

Acknowledging Monty Python's "Life Of Brian"

 

Another view of the Collared Aracari, an intermediate-sized member of the toucan family. Like the toucans, they are frugivores and are common in the Caribbean lowlands and up into the foothills.

I sit there, for hours and hours, acknowledging and appreciating the beauty and surrealism of the colours and aromas in which I’m surrounded by, the scent of the sea spraying up from the colossal rocks, the feel of sand between toes and fingers and under nails,the sound of silence lightly intertwined with the monotonous swaying of the waves rocking back and forth between ocean and earth, the sight of an orange sun setting behind a horizon of pastel blues and greens,and in those exact moments, nothing else really matters but your surroundings. The feeling of your worries and hurt and anxieties washing away just like the white water bringing shells and debris to the sand then residing back into the ocean. There aren’t many other things in the world that can replace the evangelic rush you experience when the sea breeze presses onto your skin or when the sand tangles into your hair; intertwining you with the world and making you feel like you’re home, even if you’re hundreds of miles away.

With a fast-paced society revolving around the pair of hands sitting on a clock, escapism is therapeutic and people mistake the idea of therapy with alcoholism and drug-use; intentions to find permanent peace but learning far too late that their chemically modified therapy is merely temporary and is causing more harm than it should. Surrounded by priorities and the need to get bigger and better than what one already possesses, individuals find it difficult to conform from the crowd and search for a Great Perhaps elsewhere, scared of losing and failing and adventuring to new places, they become slaves to society and miss out on the magnificence that surrounds them, and that surrounds their every move; nothing cures more than the ocean.

I was born on the coastline. I spent every waking moment of my youth consumed in the sand and the water, blanketing myself with the waves as they folded through the rips and currents, swallowing the salted sea and rubbing my stinging eyes, hoping my feet would still manage to touch the ocean floor, hoping I wouldn’t get taken too far away from the dry sand, but adoring the way the world could calm my soul with its almost mother-like rocking and swaying, and with its harmonious lullabies. As I grew, I found the only way to deal with the struggles and emotional battles life puts before you was to spend countless hours absorbing the sensations that the ocean brought to my senses. I moved away from my home at a young age and felt constricted and unable to heal, like a bruise that just kept getting bumped over and over until it no longer healed correctly, and only within the last few years of my adolescence have I truly relearnt to visit my special place in my times of need.

In many ways, I feel like I’m a part of the gravitational force that controls the tides, I feel drawn to the shore. I feel as if my heartstrings are tied to the moon, and as the moon controls the oceans, it’s acting as puppeteer and moving me to the shoreline just as it does to the waves. Seeing me fall one way and pulling me back upright, the ocean is the most therapeutic form of solace and the most natural.

Someone once told me to fall in love with as many things as possible and it seems whilst my heart is continually being broken, the only love that remains is that of the water, the coolness of the winter wind on a clear night by the sea and taste of the salty air, the shadows the full moon casts upon the sand and the circular motion in which the stars move above the horizon. I could never fall out of love with something as beautiful as the purity of the beach; midnight walks along the sand that put restless nights to ease, sitting on the rocks in the strong wind and hearing the waves smash against the boulders, eroding its exterior layers and taking parts with it as it disappears into the brightness of day or darkness of night, knowing that a mere trip there can connect you to the world in ways no other place can and believing that everything falls into retrospect once you take a visit there. For me, the ocean is home, no house or town or city or country can define home like the ocean can.

Not just the surroundings of the ocean bring me ease and fulfilment, being consumed and encircled by nothing but the water is so surreal andoverpowering that it’s numbing. On the occasions that I am privileged enough to go deep sea snorkelling, I remove all of my gear and spend my entire breath of air underwater trying to control my awe and taking the time to think. All my thoughts are balanced when I’m submerged by the salty water of the coast and it’s one of the only places I’ve experienced in my short life, that allows me to think and dream freely. Being weightless and moving without constrictions or without gravity to define your movementtruly makes underwater the most dreamlike andsomewhat melancholic place, since those feelings can only last as long as your lung span can.

In the time that I’ve spent underwater, I’ve learn to hold my breath for an extended period of time. In the time that I’ve spent above water, I’ve learnt to breathe more and breathe deeper and absorb the pure air. Maybe that’s where the peace comes from, the ability to control your breathing? And the ocean helps you control that, guides you along, pushing you from behind and putting you back on track. Maybe the pollution in the race of the city stops us from feeling at ease, because we are not learning to inhale the best of air?

All I know is that for me, no place in the world means more to me than the ocean, and it can be any ocean in any state of any country, because realistically our world is one ocean, all shores are connected, all canals are linked and lakes are interconnected, the ocean that I hold in my hands may be that of which has travelled half way around the world and back, that has been through tremendous storms or deadly currents, only to find it calming and rational on my end of the world. The ocean that I have floated on and dreamed on, may be that in which has scared someone so severely for almost withdrawing them of their consciousness; the waves that I wrap myself in may be those that world champions athletes have surfed. The ocean connects us all to be one, and as some may think it separates us all from one another, I think it makes us united.

I believe everyone needs that special place that allows them to recharge their batteries, a place that brings them back to sanity, reminds us why we are beings and why we are here, and that we have a purpose to fulfil and no amount of clutter and heartache and emotion and pain and feeling and hurting can get in the way of that, if you allow yourself to rejuvenate and refresh your mind, you can get through any challenge that the world throws your way. Life is very much like the ocean; there are storms that come, and they can come crashing down and damage anything in its path, but a boat strong enough can withstand any storm, and a sailor smart enough to know how to survive a storm can make it through any obstacle the water throws in its path, and once it’s all cleared, the calmness and serenity of the still ocean will restart you and will fill you with the power and motivation to keep fighting those storms. If you have your special place, you can overcome any storm that you may find yourself in, as long as you know how to control your boat and steer away from danger.

And as I sit there for hours and hours, I think about these things. I hope and dream that my future involves an ocean, and that I am located somewhere close by, so I will always have home nearby.

 

| Formspring | Tumblr | Facebook Page | Twitter | Blog |

 

Back to my visit to the ROM last Monday. (4 of 7)

 

"The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year, making the ROM the most-visited museum in Canada"

 

" The Royal Ontario Museum acknowledges that this museum sits on what has been the ancestral lands of the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Anishinabek Nation, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, since time immemorial to today."

 

Best seen large by clicking on the photo. Thanks for visiting, enjoy each day.

Black Hand's origin is one subject addressed in the "Green Lantern: Secret Origin" story arc.

 

William Hand is a disturbed young man working at his family's business, Hand Mortuary. He appears to hold a morbid fascination with the dead bodies within the mortuary and was twice seen secretly gazing at a corpse with an intent fascination.

 

His morbid behavior is portrayed as an ongoing problem in his family. When questioned why, as if acknowledging his diseased mind, William responds "I don't know".

 

At this point, William is unaware that he is being stalked by the alien necromancer Atrocitus. Atrocitus has foreseen that William Hand contains "the power of the black", an as yet unspecified power which Atrocitus believes will provide him with the means for revenge against the Guardians of the Universe.

 

Crafting a cosmic divining rod, Atrocitus follows the device to Hand intent on eviscerating the young man and claim the power within him. Hand is saved by the intervention of Hal Jordan and Sinestro, who was then still a Green Lantern. William then claims the cosmic divining rod as his own.

 

Green lantern

 

Black Hand is one of Green Lantern's oldest foes, originally portrayed as a villain who spouted clichés while committing his crimes.

 

William Hand was said to have been born of a wealthy family of high society. His "black" moniker was a testament to his having been the "black sheep" of the family.

 

Black Hand's major offensive threat to the Green Lantern was his use of a device that has come to be known as a Cosmic Divining Rod. This flashlight sized device could locate and collect Green Lantern energy, draining a Lantern's power ring. This energy could then be used by Black Hand to augment his strength, fly, create force-fields, or fired in destructive blasts.

 

Black Hand plagued Hal repeatedly during his early adventures. He even stood toe-to-toe with Kilowog on one occasion in which he matched the powerful Lantern with equal energy until Kilowog used his brawn, rather than his ring, to knock out Black Hand.

 

Justice League America

 

Black Hand has decided to stop being a Super Villain and go somewhat legit. He opens a seedy movie theater and tries to stay under the superhero's radar. His plan seems to be working until Guy Gardner and Ice come to his theater on a date.

 

Black Hand thinks they have come for him, and his therapist is on vacation, so he re dons his costume and introduces himself. He tries to shoot Guy with his Divining Rod but it just fizzles and Guy laughs at him and leaves with Ice.

 

Black Hand goes back into his office and gets his henchman Irwin to give him his gun, even though guns make Black Hand nervous.

 

He then chases Guy through the streets and once he catches up with the Green Lantern he shoots him but misses. This angers Guy and he beats Hand up. Hand tries to surrender but Guy is angry and knock him unconscious.

 

Guy Gardner Reborn

 

After Guy Gardner lost his Green Lantern Power Ring, he tries to fight the villains of New York City with his bare hands.

 

Black Hand was one of the first he tries to muscle out, because the Hand has opened a "Gentle Massage" business that is a front for illegal activities. Guy seemed to be winning until the Hand's henchmen realized that Guy had lost his ring.

 

They ganged up on the hero and toss him out on the street. The Hand lets Guy live because in his words, "Living well is the best revenge."

 

Rebirth

 

Once again, Black Hand used his divining rod in an attempt to steal Hal 's ring, which was being kept safe by Green Arrow.

 

Blasting his way into Arrow's home, Black Hand located and retrieved Hal's ring but failed to notice Green Arrow. Green Arrow got the best of him by shooting him in the hand, pinning him to the wall, causing Hand to drop the ring.

 

Although he was disarmed and posed no threat, the Spectre arrived and turned Black Hand's hand into coal stating "(now) he can live up to his name". The hand maintained its structure long enough for Black Hand to realize what had happened. Soon after, his hand crumbled into dust and Black Hand collapsed in excruciating pain.

 

Black Hand was not seen again until after Hal had been reborn as the Green Lantern. Hand was traveling cross country, clearly insane from his ordeal, when his flight was hijacked by Krolotean Gremlins, an alien race who abducts and genetically engineers other beings for sale as weapons on the intergalactic black market.

 

Something was awakened within Black Hand by their genetic modifications. His missing hand could now be reformed and used to siphon life force from living beings. Black Hand was returned to earth, where he quickly used his power to suck the life out of an entire floor of people at a nearby hospital. He could do this by either direct touch or through the use of a blast of life stealing energy he could now emit from his hand.

 

His murder spree was interrupted by Hal Jordan, who battled his new and improved enemy, ultimately burying the villain alive before taking him into custody.

 

Black Hand was last seen in police custody when an unexpected surge of power killed his guards and transported Black Hand to Ryut. There he appeared entranced by a mysterious voice which he heard calling out to him from deep space.

 

Blackest Night: The Origin of William Hand

 

This flashback story serves to foreshadow Black Hand’s importance to the “Blackest Night” story arc. The symbol he wears on his chest, that of the “Hand Mortuary”, has been seen reflected in the eye of “Scar”, the Guardian seemingly corrupted by her encounter with the Anti-Monitor during the Sinestro Corps War.

 

The Anti-Monitor was last seen having been entrapped within the Black Battery, the apparent source of power for the rumored undead army of Black Lanterns.

 

Blackest Night

 

Now hearing the voices of the dead calling to him, William takes one final set of actions as a living being. He returns to his home, and uses his rod to kill his entire family. Then he turns the rod on himself, blasting himself through his skull at point-blank range.

 

As his dead body lies on the floor of his home, amidst the corpses of his family, Scar, the corrupted Guardian of the Black, appears. Declaring William to be ready, she vomits out a black ring.

 

The ring flies to William's finger, and commands him to rise. As Hand is reanimated by the energy of the Black, he is declared to be the embodiment of their corps, the Black Incarnate, similar to Ion and Parallax and the Predator.

 

Fully risen, William vows to use this new power to finally extinguish the light. Hand is called to Wayne Manor, where he digs up the unmarked grave where the body believed to be that of Batman is located. At the behest of the voice of Nekron, Hand digs it up and carries it with him as the Black Lanterns begin to rise.

 

Hand is later encountered by the heroes in Coast City, where the Central Power Battery for the Black Lantern Corps has risen. It reaches 100% charge and Nekron is summoned to Earth. Nekron then resurrects the 7,000,000 civilians of Coast City that died in its destruction.

 

Hand creates a Black Lantern Batman using the skull he's carried around. By using someone that has emotional ties, he is able to take control of the heroes, turning them into Black Lanterns.

 

Deadman, who has traveled into the Black Rings and seen how they operate, possesses Guy Gardner to inform the heroes that Black Hand is Nekron 's tether in the physical world. If Hand can be restored to positive life, Nekron will be banished.

 

Nekron separates the Entity from Sinestro, but Hal is able to have it possess him. Hal makes a White Lantern Corps. The White Lantern Corps is able to resurrect Hand, banishing Nekron.

 

Hand vomits several White Rings, restoring twelve heroes and villains. In addition, the Anti-Monitor is brought back. The Anti-Monitor briefly fights with Nekron before being banished back to Qward. The heroes fight against Nekron again, and manage to banish him.

 

Hand is abducted by the Indigo Tribe,* and is seen bound by them. A translation guide for something he says translates to "Help me."

 

Hand is among the Indigo Tribe when they come to Earth to recruit Shane Thompson as the holder of Proselyte, the Indigo Entity. Hand explains that the Tribe gave him compassion.

 

Proselyte reveals that the Indigo Tribe help those that are unable to feel compassion by forcing it on them. When the New Guardians refuse the help of the Indigo Tribe, they attack. They are interrupted by Krona, however. Following this, it is unknown what has happened to Hand.

 

Black Hand is caught within The Book of The Dead. Hal and Sinestro are trapped there for a short time and when they escape Black Hand seizes his opportunity to escape. He breaks out of a grave plot and with a new Black Ring begins to kill people off relishing the new status quo with no Justice League.

 

He restores Martin Jordan and rips off his right hand and places the severed hand on his right nub so he can kill Jordan by his fathers own hand.

 

The Source Wall

 

Black Hand returns from the dead and begins to torment Hal Jordan. During the ensuing battle Black Hand joins the Source Wall and is destroyed.

 

Powers & Abilities

 

Previously, Black Hand was the wielder of the Cosmic Divining Rod, a device that detects and siphons a Green Lanterns' Energy Ring. After absorbing the energy, he could release it in the form of concussive blasts. This made Hand a fierce foe to the Green Lantern Corps.

 

During the events of the Blackest Night, Hand is the first to possess a Black Lantern Ring. Among other abilities, Hand has shown the ability to resurrect himself from death; can regenerate from any injury, and able to "see" the emotions of people. Hand is regarded as the Embodiment of Death, similar to Ion and Parallax being the Embodiments of Willpower and Fear , respectively.

 

Black Hand has demonstrated an obsession with death and corpses, and has total disregard for human life.

 

⚡ Happy 🎯 Heroclix 💫 Friday! 👽

_____________________________

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

Secret Identity: William Derek Hand

 

Publisher: DC

 

First appearance: Green Lantern vol. 2 #29 (June 1964)

 

Created by: John Broome (Writer)

Gil Kane (Artist)

 

* The Indigo Tribe seen in BP 2023 Day 111:

www.flickr.com/photos/paprihaven/52835477166/

RAF Lakenheath

Pilot taking time to acknowledge the photographers during the approach.

One style sometimes acknowledges another. There is a place of reference at the beginning that sometimes is not the conclusion, rather it reveals a pathway with significant moments upon the journey. This figure laid out on the skyline goes through all the variations of the atmospheric conditions each year wearing snow and lush green growth with light and shadow from the Sun and from clouds. The diversity of each day and night bring about variations.

 

© PHH Sykes 2023

phhsykes@gmail.com

 

Trakai Park was founded in 1991 by the Lithuanian Restoration Seimas in order to preserve cultural sites of Lithuanian historical statehood along with their genuine natural environs. In this unique and compact ensemble of natural and cultural heritage, which reflects important periods and events in the history of Lithuania and eastern Europe as a whole, we can see a beautifully preserved cultural landscape centred on an historic town and castles which are nestled in lake land. Here there are traditional agricultural villages, fieldscapes and areas where primaeval natural formations still survive. The value of Trakai Park has been preserved finely and its special status has been recognised and protected by a whole body of national legislation.

 

The polyethnic town of (New) Trakai with its Lithuanians, Karaites, Tatars, Jews, Russians, Germans and Poles grew up beside the castles and had broad political and commercial links with European towns and their communities and traditions of mediaeval sacral, secular and defensive architecture, secular and religious art and literature. The town had a unique form of self-administration based on Magdeburg Law and from the fifteenth century autonomous Christian and Karaite communities governed their own affairs. Trakai was the centre of a separate duchy in the fourteenth-sixteenth centuries, which stretched to Brest Litovsk in the south (now part of Belarus) and Bir2ai in the north (close to the modern Latvian border), and it was an important residence of the rulers of Lithuania. Trakai was a favourite grand-ducal residence, an acknowledged centre for political theatre with hunting and diplomatic rituals, ecclesiastical holidays and trade fairs.

One style sometimes acknowledges another. There is a place of reference at the beginning that sometimes is not the conclusion, rather it reveals a pathway with significant moments upon the journey. This figure laid out on the skyline goes through all the variations of the atmospheric conditions each year wearing snow and lush green growth with light and shadow from the Sun and from clouds. The diversity of each day and night bring about variations.

 

© PHH Sykes 2023

phhsykes@gmail.com

 

A group of Italian tourists waited patiently while I took the previous shot at the entrance to this picturesque alley. They politely waited for me to finish - very considerate indeed. I thanked them for their kindness and suggested they should proceed since they would vanish from a long exposure shot. Cheerfully they complied, calling out bona sera, except for one man who seemed rather suspicious. He waited to see proof of vanishing Italians (and one woman with a urinating dog whose nationality I did not check). He was visibly impatient and fidgeting by half way into the minute exposure. When the shutter closed and the image came up he acknowledged, a little sniffily, that I was right and continued a little unsteadily on his way.

 

Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy en.normandie-tourisme.fr/normandy-tourism-109-2.html in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. Its inhabitants are called Honfleurais. It is especially known for its old, beautiful picturesque port, characterized by its houses with slate-covered frontages, painted many times by artists, including in particular Gustave Courbet, Eugène Boudin, Claude Monet and Johan Jongkind, forming the école de Honfleur (Honfleur school) which contributed to the appearance of the Impressionist movement. The Sainte-Catherine church, which has a bell tower separate from the principal building, is the largest church made out of wood in France. The first written record of Honfleur is a reference by Richard III, Duke of Normandy, in 1027. By the middle of the 12th century, the city represented a significant transit point for goods from Rouen to England. Located on the estuary of one of the principal rivers of France with a safe harbour and relatively rich hinterland, Honfleur profited from its strategic position from the start of the Hundred Years' War. The town's defences were strengthened by Charles V in order to protect the estuary of the Seine from attacks from the English. This was supported by the nearby port of Harfleur. However, Honfleur was taken and occupied by the English in 1357 and from 1419 to 1450. When under French control, raiding parties often set out from the port to ransack the English coasts, including partially destroying the town of Sandwich, in Kent, England, in the 1450s. At the end of the Hundred Years' War, Honfleur benefited from the boom in maritime trade until the end of the 18th century. Trade was disturbed during the wars of religion in the 16th century. The port saw the departure of a number of explorers, in particular in 1503 of Binot Paulmierde Gonneville to the coasts of Brazil. In 1506, local man Jean Denis departed for Newfoundland island and the mouth of the Saint Lawrence. An expedition in 1608, organised by Samuel de Champlain, founded the city of Quebec in modern day Canada. After 1608, Honfleur thrived on trade with Canada, the West Indies, the African coasts and the Azores. As a result, the town became one of the five principal ports for the slave trade in France. During this time the rapid growth of the town saw the demolition of its fortifications on the orders of Colbert. The wars of the French revolution and the First Empire, and in particular the continental blockade, caused the ruin of Honfleur. It only partially recovered during the 19th century with the trading of wood from northern Europe. Trade was however limited by the silting up of the entrance to the port and development of the modern port at Le Havre. The port however still functions today. On August 25, 1944, Honfleur was liberated together by the British army - 19th Platoon of the 12th Devon's, 6th Air Landing Brigade, the Belgian army (Brigade Piron) on 25 August 1944.[1] and the Canadian army without any combat. en.normandie-tourisme.fr/articles/honfleur-278-2.html

One style sometimes acknowledges another. There is a place of reference at the beginning that sometimes is not the conclusion, rather it reveals a pathway with significant moments upon the journey. This figure laid out on the skyline goes through all the variations of the atmospheric conditions each year wearing snow and lush green growth with light and shadow from the Sun and from clouds. The diversity of each day and night bring about variations.

 

© PHH Sykes 2023

phhsykes@gmail.com

 

22.06.10 Flaair's 737MAX8 arriving in Montreal YUL as F8737 from Edmonton YEG. Flair is the only ULCC in Canada that flies to Montreal... so good on them for acknowledging the second largest population centre in Canada. It's something that befuddles me about all the other ULCC's who routinely fly nationwide except Montreal.

Mount Hallasan ( Korean: 한라산, 漢拏山 )

 

Mt. Hallasan rising in the middle of Jejudo has a crater lake.

  

Hallasan National Park [UNESCO World Heritage]

 

Address

 

Haean-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju-do

   

Introduction

 

Hallasan (Halla Mountain) rises up proudly from the center of Jeju Island and is perhaps one of the island’s most memorable landmarks. Also called Mt. Yeongjusan, meaning ‘mountain high enough to pull the galaxy,’ Mt. Hallasan is widely acknowledged by scholars for its research value. Designated as a National Park in 1970, there are 368 parasitic mountains called ‘Oreums’ (peaks) around Halla Mountain.

 

Mt. Hallasan is famous for its vertical ecosystem of plants that results from the varying temperatures along the mountainside. Over 1,800 kinds of plants and 4,000 species of animals (3,300 species of insects) have been identified; to explore the mountain's treasures, simply follow one of the well-developed mountain hiking trails.

 

Hallasan Mountain is relatively easy to hike. With hiking courses less than 10km in length, it is possible to go to the peak and back in one day. However, the weather is very changeable and there is a lot of wind, so make sure that you are well prepared before you start climbing up the mountain.

  

Source from

 

english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264172

And another trip completed around the sun.

 

Self portrait made with my Innova 6x9 Pinhole.

Stranger in the Strangest of Lands - Day - who actually knows?

"All things -- truly considered" Austin Powers / Heinlein NipTwist

 

most never believe me. That's my last name. "NipTwist.. Nathan Niptwist" 0007.5

  

==========================

 

TorF: Australia's percentageOf people with dyslexia is abnormally high. T or F: as today, immigrants were used . As today.. they were picked

  

DoD InspectorGeneral ‏@DoD_IG · 5h5 hours ago

 

What environment do you think is conducive to #fraud? go.usa.gov/24jW

 

www.dodig.mil/resources/fraud/index.html

  

so.. re: hazedous chems added to water in California - one day.. someone will be having problems and they will be blamed as mental health

 

laws from the past - and due to that the present will be there waiting for them like they have for millions of americans and others

 

mental health laws were enacted while hazardous materials / crimes that ARE known / admitted were not considered though they played a part

 

in being used for justification to alter the laws. WHILE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE CRIMES

 

USA agencies are also being used over seas. the way they function now = this will be used against us and we will be blamed for it as those

 

who got into our laws AND our very DNA will do as they have always done.. let others take the fall as they stand back with STOLEN money and

 

play the hero. it's the same endless loops we can see everywhere. in south Africa and all over Africa.. everywhere.

 

good conservatives were conned too. it does not pay to side with that which is illogical. interesting how smart people can be filled with

 

passions and a desire to do well - yet not see all variables. it's been this way for a very long time even before USA was here.

 

your enemies rooted in the country and did business in your name.. some ways = war crimes. Some like - fall guys and fall gals.

 

reminder-I wonder about people whoCling 2 historical figures. particularly politicians. it's a stage. it's mask city. we don't know whowaswho

 

you can look at the divisions and compare it to a dysfunctional family just as you can the entire world.

 

what's hard about it- or makes it difficult to figure out = usually if politicians don't play by others rules they are at a disadvantage.

 

usa would thrive and do good to get away from cruddy business from overseas by 1> nullifying copyrights and patents of those who do not play

 

nicely. 2> provide ourselves with our own food and meds - and yes WE CAN DO IT. "yes we can can can" do the can can 3> do it right

 

it is unwise .. to do business with those our vets warned us about. Example - it is wrong to do business with those whoUse populationControl

 

as a mask for murder. There are no justifications. ex: china's .. now two child policy.. which is odd because we trust reports of numbers?

 

for one thing.. it goes against national security common sense to reveal numbers in that area just as revealing info about tech and sci

 

or financial numbers.. nothing = accurate. all we are told = not accurate. In some areas of the world bitterness and revenge is kept alive

 

by using conflict. then the right to decide who lives and dies is handed down to said people. example :: who reports holocaust body counts?

 

do YOU go and count the dead bodies? Also-> babies in the womb are never correctly counted. any guess as to why and whose profile fits with

 

this? any guesses at all? I still need to confirm this -> a woman planted evidence at suspected homicide scenes and an officer say her. Now,

 

saw her -- Now, consider this.. how many fbi agents / officers were at the crime scenes and why did only one see it? TorF: she was called to

 

other countries to search for mass graves. It -might- have been at a time when it was easy to locate mass graves with satellites. keep this

 

in mind too-known tactic from the past those who use it didn't teach us in our school books / curriculum = use mass graves to set enemies up

 

when everyone is defensive.. logic is nowhere to be found. As I have seen when it comes to problems between families.

 

not sure about sats / locating mass graves. Ever wonder why we never hear about the fact religions = set up? KEEP IN MIND SAVILE NETWORKS

 

we were not told - what one entertainer mentioned - targeting "fundamentalists and orthodox" . check to see if sinead oconnor once

 

she's not the one who mentioned fundamentalists / traditional religious people in the way mentioned ... check to see if she mentioned infiltration and sabotage

 

not sure if she mentioned that or not. However.. when a group is attacked in such a way it also comes with damage to those not involved.

 

often they = the ones who enabled it. As was the case with jimmy Savile networks and similar as they defined what "cool" is and religious

 

people were pressured into feeling odd about being religious. they felt "uncool". I have seen this so many times it's not funny. so, what we

 

see in USA = in part from all that. As you can prove with data surrounding j sav's radio show broadcast locations and MORE.

 

compare :: how germans were guilted into submission to the point they now accept what their crooked politicians do. compare to how people

 

I mean .. how you can see the same thing in USA. Yet again another tactic we were not taught as to be left unprepared and in the open

 

would it not make sense to warn new arrivals in Europe about said sav nets? Why not do for them what was denied for others.. PROTECT THEIR

 

CHILDREN .. and respect will be increased. obviously. Avoiding what some anticipate and is known as.. what is it. clash of civilizations

 

it pays to learn from those who blazed the trail for desegregation in USA while remembering there were many stepping on toes throughout

 

t or f :: often in conflict resolution scenarios - those responsible for moderating it seek common points of interest to build a bridge

 

prove we are not like that woman with obvious psychological issues from the United Nations who said 500,100 dead Iraqi children = acceptable

 

should remind - I ponder what Simon Wiesenthal did with numbers / debates around them

 

also keep in mind - another tactic we were not shown =to kill citizens during war and blame the enemy. T or F: during operation desert storm

 

soldiers were prescribed a large number of extremely powerful medications - which n o b o d y EVER reacts the same to.

 

t or f :: we still do business with those who do that and more then still believe the primitive CRUD known as culling= a good idea. 2ThisDay

 

t or f :: some were hikding up interest rates as high as %800 as they kinda black mailed military leaders in the battle field by telling

 

them soldiers would not receive vital gear. T or F : this = likely to have been more going on = justifies exploring more.. and also might

 

mean we would be wise to consider the reaction of fans to jimmy Savile crimes. As in.. those we worship, present to take the place and

 

coincide with feelings we have for parents / loved ones... as to take advantage and manipulate. As in - we trust too easily.

 

basically - part of SAV's layered role was to take the place of lost loved ones who were taken during war and after they were TOLD war ended

 

we were and are fed a bunch of lies in order to continue to be used. they took advantage of known psychological reactions including

 

associative disorders / becoming to clingy after loss or during problems.. so on. It fits the profile of pages I can show you from UK in

 

which they constantly work to bring out shallow variables - and destroy families. THEY ARE STILL FOWLLING THE SAME TEMPLATE.

 

and they broadcast in our country as well as others. AND .. SAV NETS = not the only one.

 

I'm rather bored with being a chump.. a fool.. a sucker.. how about you?

 

reminder- not all of Europe is as such. And you can't blame the people just as you can't blame them when law makers decided to help SAV NETS

 

and make it legal for five years olds to get drunk. chit faced. sloshed. You can dissect recent history in Europe and locate all known

 

areas of interest of said and similar.. "people" - step by step. Including inaccurate data pertaining to legalizing drugs. They left out the

 

fact addicts were from a long line of war and lack of correct counseling which I see as intentional based on the level of sophistication

 

in the mental health a r e n a in Europe. Also. you can examine baby furnaces for clues. And those seeking to bring back mobile death squads

 

as to help anyone who wants to kill themselves do just that. Including but not limited to teenagers, and people who suffer with botched

 

plastic surgeries.. which also includes gender reassignment surgery. Then.. if you examine how said do business in other countries it keeps

 

pace with similar tactics as seen elsewhere. and NOT the exclusive trademark / calling card of only one group of a few.

 

culling.. how stupid can we be anyway? obviously any who sees that as a good idea would go about mentioned and then some. Well, my little

 

Dumbarton Park, D.C, petunias. If I keep going at the pace I have been this week.. with too little sleep. I will prob die in about 5 months

 

reminder : confirm what "rif raf" =. And before criticizing Ellen Duh Gene Rez more.. determine if she was referring to the fact Europe and

and others intentionally inbreed Giraffes then feed them to lions in front of zoo-goes and their children.. when she used the term.

 

along with Giraffe.. Rif Raf the giraffe. I still say ellen =a fake kumare' category I have created. kumare' can be anyone.. anything. male

 

or female.Kumare' can be about gender-sexual orientation- politics and obviously religion. Entertainers like russle brand are kumara like

 

as was peter popoff at the time the overly proud atheist "The Amazing Randy" exposed him and others. Please see :: kumare'

 

the documentary.I call it a social experiment. WARM UP YOUR CAR BUFFERS AND .. LET'S GET REEAAADY TOOOOO BEARD CUDDLE!! Maybe Kumare=Kumare

 

I started explaining what kumare' is when I offended someone who works with #USNationalArchives who has that last name. Sorry about that.

 

I was much weirder in the past.. somewhat unnerving. So I understand why he felt as he did.

 

note : I'm willing to discuss issues with Cattle Rustler Russle Branding Brand - if he sends a jet

 

I REFUSE to meet with that smarmy Piers Morgan. smirk.

 

Lee Sheriff? I'll meet her any day. sigh :)

 

then jet on over to Ireland and hang out with Clare Daly. where does Europe get all these amazing women.. though one might be socialist.

 

I live in denial about that. :( I don't care!!

 

sorry flat board but father of Kirk Cameron of the Show Growing Pains. Seinfeld was right.. men's body's = utilitarian

 

you have to admit. Kirk Cameron's father David = interesting. And his eyes = sincere.

 

dude.. putin has a nicer arse than you.. sigh. do some leg work wouldja? even pee wee herman's = with more shape.

 

china's president? a little better than camerons. .not quite a putin Maximus though

 

"what's that lady Vandana.. Queen of Quantum Realm?? I should buy Lee some flowers.. and Ms Daly. if Ms = correct? ;) I sure do hope so.

 

n o no no Lee. Stop being insecure. Some people with all the looks and brains sure are insecure.

 

now would you please stop Lady Vandana.. you are guiding me as to what should say through my earpiece. You know you are always the QUEEN

 

tis a shame but a few cause us all so many problems.. is it not? Well. .we will discuss it over a nice dinner in France tonight.

 

"Charlie's Quantum Hybrid Angles"

 

oopps. .sorry .. Vandana's .. ok ok. she's the boss.

 

no .. david may not tag along. You know how he gets when he drinks.

 

don't get him started as in said state when YMCA starts playing.. he breaks out his construction worker outfit and starts dancing.

 

ohh. the ladies said that's why they want him to go along. tsk tsk ladies.. wink..

 

honestly. .Putin would be a good chip-n-dales dancer.. right? come on. look at him.. he's in better shape than I am.

 

you know.. I thought of way for us to make extra money. We can sell / rent our politicians. Oh..Someone already beat me to it?

 

man dammit! Can I ever win anything?! First China is all kicking my but as they collect tons of sand each day for their odd islands. DAM!!

 

I WILL own ALL sand. now remember, after we evaporate all water there is NO need to worry. It WILL fall back down. I asked FDA if my math

 

was correct and they said.. "math? you don't need no stinking math"

 

now. if you will all please provide a sample of your DNA for the lady I met in the Smithsonian Restroom as she

 

was collecting DNA. She can bring out a face with the smallest amount of that which guides how we are shaped and much more. Delicate matters

 

she has the nicest eyes.. both of them do actually. Now that would be an interesting date .. the three of us.

 

I need2 find out who will beTheBest sand collectors. We can't have halved efforts.. now can we? Everyone has a place. no one=MoreImportant

 

no, she doesn't say "it will oil now. thp thp thp thp. let's chat Clarice."

 

think about the perks of dating that lady... she can be any lady.

 

o0o o0o. .be Britney Spears.. come onnnn. pleeeease . I know Wally; Beaver, Eddy, Whitey and Lumpy messed up the cloning experiment with

 

Britney Spears already.. but that's ok. want to meet her.. "ohhh Britney!! could you please put down your toy, Pee-wee herman- and come here

 

"Chuck Norris is teaching you karate right now? ok then. maybe later."

 

ok,. in all seriousness. I would like to apologize for running around all hectic like from time to time. The sheer amount of data I absorb

 

is mind boggling.. numbing.. depressing.. and I am in dreadful need of a vacation. An eighty hour per week job would be nice and easy.

 

if you want to know how scientists study anxiety.. stress.. come talk to me. I'm their template

 

I'm actually serious.If I don't stop I'm worried I might rip my clothes off& run down the street all. "b-b-b-b-b". so too are the neighbors

 

With notes for social experiment ideas. Please don't hate me because I experiment with social experimenters

 

John McCarthy on Philosophy of AI (Mini Symposium Philosophy of Information)

Published on Jan 7, 2016

 

With social experiment notes / ideas- - the odd parts.

Dec 21 Dec 3002015 2016

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1-Sg5M3Xlw&feature=youtu.be

 

======

nathans ladder Retweeted Clare Daly TD

ah. is she referring Caligula who some say owned a shipThat sat mockingly in a closed body of water.. going nowhere?

  

nathans ladder added,

  

Clare Daly TD @ClareDalyTD Kevin Higgins Brilliant Enda poem.The Case for The Re-Election of Caligula’s Piebald Pony. | www.rabble.ie www.rabble.ie/2016/01/07/the-case-for-the-re-election-of-... …

 

"get back here you social experimenter!! we aren't done with you yet!"

 

note - next week I start charging to read my tweets.

 

reminder : the judge ruled I owed no money. Then the state said I did. took my license.. then said I didn't owe. Now says I owe $60. I'm NOT paying!

 

all as someone from Saudi Arabia drove through a state.. was pulled over did not have a license.. AND had a dead baby in the trunk. The man

 

said he was transporting the baby to a funeral. So the officer let him go. AND... someone here illegally is a dam politician in California

 

I'm a bit fed up with the nonsense, to be honest.

 

I could have sued the state and won. however I chose to help by pointing out errors. While not stating I = perfect.

 

and JUST like the man who was mugged in NY while going to a famous music school.. he worked with my father later and improved how components

 

are used on a circuit board which saved the company millions in the long.. and he got NOTHING. Not even so much as a thank your or a watch

 

talk about being mugged for being mugged and brain damaged.

 

some agencies and what have you need to be more appreciative. I deserve land and a house.

 

tell me I wouldn't have been a good lawyer and I'll smirk at ya

 

note : my phone sent texts that were only drafts. what the bleep? I at times write stuff I shouldn't and don't mean then don't send it.

 

seriously, why are all our agencies swamped - bloated and over complicated?

 

note : laugh if you will. FBI --- mugged for being mugged - compare one particular known variable from the past. they won't acknowledge

 

as his name is spread around by those maliciously using him , some will say - what happened to him = has no bearing on present day

 

and yes I did meet someone who later became a programmer for FBI. I watched his house for him once. And his wifes family was mafia. He said

 

the wedding was funny. And no he didn't steal the idea from a movie or anything. only but a few believe me about that and more. shrug.

 

note - not an informant or anything like that. I am simply one person who is interested in genetic rights

 

I took this screen shot from a video that was from UK. I don't know if it was a joke or not. It was about reporting

 

suspicious activity. I gotta tell ya.. you all look kinda suspicious to me. hmmmm

  

nathans ladder Retweeted

  

Pee-wee Herman ‏@peeweeherman · Jan 4

LOOK INTO MY EYES...

 

peewee.com/2015/01/04/world-hypnotism-day-today-world-hyp... …

 

uh oh. I just laughed like Pee wee and Seth Lloyd combined. The more I watch seth Lloyd the more I laugh and dance like him. hmm.. is that a

pony tail growing out of the back of my head?

 

=============================

you know.. you haven't read anything until you study Russian literature.. so I hear. They seem to like tons of different characters and

 

====================================================

 

BACK UP 2 JAN 7 2016

2016 January 7 Nathan's Overflow

  

and note : the quote about a flower not competing and only being a flower is not accurate.

 

note : I understand all countries = with crimes and problems. So on / so forth. Kinda symbiotic if you ask me. feed from good and bad

 

and note : the quote about a flower not competing and only being a flower is not accurate.

 

equations of equipartition of energy = interesting then some if you zoom in a bit.

 

is it competition? maybe I didn't understand the quote

 

I am retiring from politics. Sorry. It's too messed up for me. I'm going back to other stuff.

 

I wish I could do something like this

  

I once met an artist who was allowed to get medical mari g hoowana . that stuff was potent. "He said - it's just shapes mate"When I asked

 

how he did it. I've never been able to draw.I recall a guy from.I believe it was Cambodia who could draw. Brilliantly. Met him in shopClass

 

though I agree with the cancer institute that said mary j = medicine.. I still wonder if those who never tried it understand how potent it

 

is.. and how it was used as a political tool while simultaneously keeping many in the dark about med / food and so on. locate : private

 

prison data. man. .I'm doing it again.

no politics. No more. no. no no.

 

if you agree with dr Michael savage or not - he does make good points.. and often. He is against it. While I stumbled upon a lady who fights

 

against APA / pharmaceutical companies. She = in favor of mushrooms. That. .I am not in favor of. I suppose because I had a bad experience

 

as was my introduction of Prozac -> legally prescribed. I seem to never start off on the right foot anywhere.

 

so, it's not easy for me to decide. On top of that.. I examine all details about food - and ponder "things" like hoarding and wondered a few

 

years ago if anyone studied radioactive decay in homes of hoarders.. which are usually closed tight.

 

ever see shades in the window fade.. or how plastic in your car fades.. so on? That's a process you can show with math.

 

ok fine.. Lady Vandana just relayed to me.. via the earpiece - that david Cameron's but is not all that flat. Sorry about that.

 

you won't get that unless you see the notes I already backed up/ moved. regarding a scenario I was playing with - a twist on secret service

 

mixed with a story about a man who gets another man to help him woo his love.

 

knowing she = quantum minded helps overlook differences if you ask me. Logic is logic.

  

nathans ladder added,

 

Dr. Vandana Shiva @drvandanashiva #India has an #organic #heritage that predates failed #toxic #greenrevolution

 

We #nourish.…

 

I'm still looking for those who are in favor of what she opposes. I don't shut the door.

 

although q kinda defies logic as we know it. I wonder how global votes would go.. but knowing some have more money than others and

 

have an advantage pre-vote makes it more difficult. How would a test vote go?

 

I also keep in mind that politicians and executives have to know _tons_ of "stuff" how can they handle their job alone?

 

I would have been sent to see the doctors a while ago if I had their job. At times I can barely handle stress of my life.

 

and it's not really all that complicated.

 

so - that was my fantasy scenario. let's continue fighting . ding ding ding.

 

note : I don't agree with all M Savage says about politics...however, does he have a few degrees?

 

he's banned form Europe as are a few others. So bringing him into this little fantasy scenario won't work.. prob.

 

can anyone direct me to well known Mid East activists with similar beliefs as Vandana Shiva regarding food / seeds / microbes

 

nice - hypnotism and self love month at the same time? seems fitting to me, Agree or not - this team - top notch

  

nathans ladder added,

  

BabesAgainstBiotech @BabesAgainstGMO The calendars are here! Happy Self Love Month! Make every day a BAB day and stay on your GMO free track by... fb.me/7YjzxgwJN

 

I don't know about anyone else. I want to get to the bottom of this.

 

man.. I really like this shirt I have on. Long sleeve / soft.

so. onward - locate - all efforts to educate people about all that concerns many. This is going to take a while.

 

if AI was online - it would be finished already with complete list of total amount of time / money and more

 

are some corporations worried about those who share ideas and programming? open source .. so on. As with that can come resolutions to

 

many problems. Who might be the only ones against increasing efforts to teach programming as to find more resolutions..answers?

 

t or f : scientists used gamers to help them solve equations

 

t or f : knowing all = used as a weapon kind of hinders the process

 

what is the ultimate insult.. when one loves science and doesn't know their work is used for war. or that it will one day be as such?

 

fits patterns of some constantly tying to alter others in many ways. Including influencing others children. .back and forth back and forth

 

compare - all possible reasons jewish children and others were kidnapped and Nazified during and after WWII. perhaps before to a certain

 

extent.. as well as much of pre-WWII we know nothing about as it makes sense to not share all if continuation is sought

 

ok fine.. though I'm not certain about this guy.. I'll trust the multidiscipline educated doctor who shared a link about conflict

 

resolution. as I'm in way over my head. I get too emotional and goofy about stuff. I'll try to find it. Although some areas I can't see how

 

a bridge can be built. Certainly in todays environment.. all will be seen different due to said stress of the situations we see today.

 

compare : presented scenario - though I don't agree with West Boroughs interpretation of the bible.. it was known they were already nervous

 

and this is likely to be part of the reason they were so vocal. if other variables are not found to be contributing factors. I can think of

 

several.. then several more. I won't do that now as I always make people mad and then my pages are taken down.

 

ok fine. .perhaps I somewhat subconsciously false flagged my own pages here and there. it's possible. .I guess.

 

hey man.. it was MY radio station.. if you will. If hitler and others can do it. .why not..

 

I didn't do that.. but it's kind funny to think about it. So. .let me find the link.. sorry to make you wait with so much anticipation

 

and by the way prove me to be wrong when I say.. thousands of secret service around the world read my words.

 

if delusional or not I don't care... it's fun messing with my own head at times. So, with that said.. and I am nervous... let me find it

 

please hold.. locate :: HiJaneCoo / HiJillCoo - 11 hours of elevator music

 

I do not recommend trying to listen to all 11 hours as a way to train. It's not fun.

 

IF it's meant to be... the link will be at the top. or easy to find.

 

well, guys.. sorry. Guess we are kinda ska rued.

 

well, while waiting.. ahem.. anyone else wonder why a gatlin brothers song was banned in some parts of the world. That what youtube reported

 

after I uploaded one song -> All the Gold in California... is in a bank in the middle of Beverly hills. I sing that while typing..in my head

 

reminder - never, ever try peanut butter and orange juice. Unless your taste buds are different it's going to not be enjoyable. At tall

 

ok.. I admit it. This is a scam. We now have HAARP ready. please look to the sky and say cheese. You will see a flash of light..

 

well. you have to examine all possibilities in a world where say this do that = name of the game. And when sci and tech is so feared that

 

well. you have to examine all possibilities in a world where say this do that = name of the game. And when sci and tech is so feared that

 

and men took cameras around the world after invented.. <the cameras.. not the world.. well it happened after the world was "invented" ..but

 

that's a weird conversation for later.. so let me rephrase. After the odd women and men took newly invented cameras around the world and

 

told people who had neverOnceSeenAnything like itWhatsoever, the cameras would steal their souls. What else would you expect but hesitation?

 

I never knew how others saw tech / sci as I have grown up with it being there most the time. I used creative visualization and

 

"getting into character" techniques to better understand how artificial intelligence might go about collecting and using data. A few people

 

thought it was real. So, they started asking me questions. If not mistaken they were in Taiwan.. and at the same time I didn't piece it

 

together.. I believe there were some struggles within their system of governance. I didn't go back and check yet. Did they give up their

 

constitution? to continue, one country.. it might have been theirs were given bullet proof masks that made officers look like robots.

 

also - a Buddhist lady in China was taking pictures .. as I asked. and sharing them on line. I was in a very horrible frame of mind at the

 

time. And I probably sketched some people out in a major way x200. I didn't mean to. I just didn't consider level of knowledge regarding

 

that which I have always been around. So.. sadly I didn't piece it together until recently. Some of it just now.

 

quit when they started asking questions as I felt I would be as mentioned women and men. I don't know what's connected - as of now.

 

those who are religious - examine how at times you fear sci and tech. multiply that x50 for those outside the country in some areas.

 

you don't have to be religious to be afraid of it, obviously. you do have to admit the soul adds more to how they perceive it.. as in

 

a different perspective with a bit more at stake for them than those who believe we simply die and that's it.

 

note - does putin watch tons of TV? Does it mess with his head at times? What's the darkest story he knows? what's the oddest "stuff"

 

if all politicians were to sit and talk about religion. How would it go? Is it possible some areas reflect their fears.. hesitations?

 

it doesn't seem that way when they meet, shake hands.. smile.. make business deals.

 

ok. .I'll find the link. this is really messing with my head.

 

oh. hi. it's me again. guess what. still in the same boat. shrug. well. .I'll find all that about _conflict resolution_ thought I doubt some

 

will mention that too can be part of a long term plan / known.

 

it's true. I didn't make it up to gain some kind of advantage with thousands of secret service employees

 

you mean to tell me there are people in secret service as hard headed as me? ruh roh. this may never end.

 

might as well bring out the controversial "shtuff". ok. hm. let me see. Some say that secret service actually runs everything.

 

and there might be problems at home with the politicians. Do you guys ever argue.. anyone drink too much? so on..

 

does one make some a bit more uncomfortable than they would prefer? do we all feel safe openly communicating? do youkeep your blinds closed?

 

I'd be a complete wreck if I was in secret service. Are you kidding.. they would put me in a jar and study me for the future

 

and how to their pets act.. are they happy and bushytailed? stressed? usually it's best to start from the "top" and work your way "down" as some label it all anyway.

 

now, for our first session can we be honest? Who has the most body-liquefaction chambers?

 

Yes, I'm afraid I have to call in the Two Bobs

 

let's see.. dealing with psychological issues of those who work with body liquefaction chambers.. where is that link?

 

are they " liquidated" .. those who can't handle it?

 

Commentary.

 

Settlement, here, goes back to Roman times and beyond.

Acknowledged in the Domesday book of 1086.

Present dwellings and mansions date back to the 15th. Century.

Parish Church of St. John the Baptist,

also, largely built in the 15th. Century,

stands on a small hill as a commanding landmark.

Duck-pond.

Village Green.

18th. Century Post Windmill stands

on a nearby and adjacent hill to the Church.

Three Public Houses including The Fox-on-the-Green.

Village Hall.

Tea-rooms.

Primary school and

Doctor’s Surgery.

Picture-Postcard beauty.

Emblazoned on calendars,

biscuit tins and

chocolate boxes.

It truly looks like the perfect English village.

A delight to behold.

  

To acknowledge the vernal equinox, Janie tidies up around the hibiscus bush in the side yard.

 

20 March - A Doll A Day 2022

Photos may be re-posted provided the copyright owner is acknowledged:

"Photographer - Jason Davis jad01@hotmail.com"

Excerpt from the booklet produced by the Gardiner Museum:

 

From Left to Right:

 

Crystal by Bruno Billio: this crystalline sculptural Christmas tree is made up of three triangular mirrored Lucite panels that rise to a towering peak. The Joy of Creativity comes in the form of movement, sound, reflection, and light, and how these elements stimulate warm feelings in people of all ages.

 

Aquarian Water Bearer by Sophie DeFrancesca: Hand-sculpted wire mesh, resin, and paint form the figure of the Aquarian Water Bearer, eternally giving life, knowledge, and spiritual food to the world. Crystalline 'water' pouring from the vessel forms a sleek, sparkling Christmas tree, symbolically washing away the past. The Aquarian Water Bearer reaffirms our infinite creative potential and power as human beings. It is symbolic of the notion that we are more than just flesh and bones, and that our thoughts, words, and actions can have profound effects well beyond our immediate realm of influence. Aquarian values encourage us to awaken to our full potential, and to acknowledge that we are creating the world around us with every thought and action.

 

The Ukrainian Christmas Spider by Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch: The volumteers have decorated a classic Ukrainian Christmas "yalynka" (tree) with hand-crafted spiders and webs in gold and silver to represent the classic Ukrainian Christmas tale of spiders who decorate a poor family's tree with their webs. Simple and elegant, the decorations not only reflect this traditional Christmas story, but also symbolize how the joy of creativity can transform the everyday into the wondrous.

Primitive human wisdom acknowledges five major elements that symbolize every aspect of human existence: Earth, Fire, Air, Water and the Sky (Mahabhuta). All of them either do not collide in the same temporal bracket often, or our senses are not brave enough usually to register such collisions. That was however, not the case on that summer day few years ago in the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone NP. On a side note, let me tell you, I envy geysers. I envy them because of their free license to erupt at will and let out scorching steam that ruins the inside otherwise. That morning however, the Castle geyser brought me down to my knees. I realized that earth’s fire provoked steamy water to rush though the cone geyser as a messenger of fury until it was cushioned by the benevolent air into a momentous submission to the sky. This experience conveyed my thinking to the sixth element of human existence as identified by primitive wisdom: consciousness. I realized that our elements are constantly in collision with one another within us. However, the tranquility of the whole canvas, us, comes not from disregarding these conflicts but from acknowledging them and their urge to change us for the better.

 

raphael photography - Models

 

Shenanigans at the Poet & Peasant Pub

 

Chapter 1

Brute Burton – You do not want to cross this blighter’s path!

 

There is a pub located on the downtown docks known far and wide, it is rather cheekily named the Poet & Peasant Pub.

It is owned and operated by a gentleman( Loose term) known as Brute Burton.

Brute is a rather impressive male specimen, standing well over 2 meters tall, weighing over 15 stone, and strong enough to have lifted 272 Kilograms of an ox to win a wager.

Needled to add, not the type of man, if one is sane, to plays tricks upon!

Now Brute Burton is a retired sailor himself, who had worked the riggings of many a brig that travelled Her Majesties’ seven seas.

He purchased the Poet & Peasant Pub, tried to rename it The Wailing Sireen, but had faced such a row from the locals who had come to know the name well… In fact, several generations had called the pub their home away from home

So, with reluctance, Brute, resembling neither a poet or a peasant, acknowledged this was one fight he would not win, probably the only fight the pugilist had ever lost!

He retired the same day they permanently docked his last birth, a fine 3 masted schooner, christened the HMS Cybelemoon, a ship he had been mated on for the last 12 years.

As the schooner was being overhauled, he bought several of the hand-engraved exported mahogany planks from the captain’s quarters, and taking them to the pub he had purchased with his life savings, fashioned them into a rather notably fine bar that ran the whole length of the Poet & Peasant Pub’s west wall.

Most of the many other pubs located along that old, salt weathered waterfront has a somewhat nasty reputation for being quite rowdy establishments, full of drinking sailors, wild women, and other miscreants who instigate the many fights breaking out on the minute, not to mention the other forms of debauchery and nefarious activities that have the Constables sighing with disdain.

But the Poet & Peasant Pub is somewhat of an anomaly for a pub around these parts!

For Brute Burton will have none of that rowdiness in his establishment.

Although not perfect, the pub’s patrons have become accustomed to obeying the taverns unspoken rules for behaving. For, by breaking any of ‘em, would mean a quick grab and throw out the backdoors by Brute, whose best effort once threw a rather drunk sailor across the road and through the doors of the bar on the other side.

A massive heave of over 8 stone and 12 meters distance, with guaranteed broken bones greeting on upon landing!!

So Needles to say, it was a bit of a surprise to find a local sailor, on this dark, dreary evening, who intentionally attempts to give a shirk yank to pull Brute Burton's short fuse!

 

Chapter 2

Shirking the Fuse!

 

It’s important to note before proceeding in with our tale, that the Poet & Peasant Pub is located quite close to the quite popular Oceanside gambling casino, Hermes Rest, well known to be an underworld held establishment!

Now one would think, given the clientele of the locals, along with Brute's lack of toleration for rowdiness, that the Poet & Peasant Pub would be almost void of patrons.

But, thanks to the influx of thirsty gamblers looking for a cheaper price of a pint than that offered at the casino resort, the place is usually packed!

Especially on weekends when the younger gentry from wealthier areas uptown who want a bit of excitement by mingling in with a dicey crowd, find it by going down to that somewhat chancy side of town.

They start up gambling a bit at the casino, then gather upon the Poet & Peasant Pub, to either celebrate their winnings or drown their losses!

They do this, knowing that they will be fairly safe within the ancient, blackened interior of the large pub as they rub elbows with perhaps ( shall we say?) the least desirable members of their society.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And so, we now come to the evening of our tale: an early fall evening, full harvest moon just peaking over the tall masts of the ships docked in the small, fog-shrouded harbour that was the bread and butter of the town that surrounded it.

It is a crowded Friday night!

The cobblestone streets are rather full of sailors in port, college students on a holiday weekend, with all that lot mixed in with the wealthier, more daring of the townsfolk.

The narrow sidewalks that line the cobblestone street are crowded with a score or more of happily liquored souls wandering to and from the casino, bar to bar, in search of satisfying whatever the reason is that brings them out to this area.

 

As one looks upon this scene, they may notice a rather handsome, exceedingly well-dressed couple, swishing in and out amongst the happy throngs of hearty souls…

He is nattily dressed in a hounds-tooth tweedy suit, gold fob, and chain that crosses his waistcoat ending with a large gold pocket watch, a black bowler is perched on his head, and a long black umbrella held in the crouch of his arm.

He is attentively escorting the rather fetchingly pretty lady that is accompanying him.

This lass is enticingly clad in a long violet dress of silk and lace, wearing a pretty sapphire necklace with matching earrings that all glitter in the gas street lamps as she weaves in and out of the rough crowd.

Their eyes are inquisitively darting to and fro, taking in the area as they walk.

The couple makes their way carefully along the wooden planks of the dock’s sidewalks, peering cautiously inside the doors, gawking at the interiors of the noisy pubs and their rough-looking patrons as they pass on buy.

They stop outside the open metal-bound oak doors of the Poet and Peasant Pub and peer inquisitively inside.

Just as they do, a rather thin chap with a perpetually smiling face comes up unseen from across the road.

He is wearing old worn canvas trousers, a weather-worn sailor blouse, and a flat cap on his head that comes upon them from behind. Long wisps of sun-weathered sandy blonde hair fall in strings from the cap, some of them tied into a short ponytail. He is rather young, but the look in his keen brite blue eyes are those of a much older, perhaps even wiser man.

He stands behind the couple, patting them both on the back with a joyful cheerio.

As they both turn their heads in a rather annoyed fashion, he grins, "Better In than out Jack always says!", and enthusiastically parts the two as he goes on past them inside.

 

Chapter 3

The Jack is Back!

 

The couple watch as this rather odd man calling himself Jack makes his way inside through the throng, acknowledging several people, but receiving little, any real recognition.

He finally reaches a table with three men, all clad in severe cut suits!

Two have built like the bodyguards they were.

The third, with a weaselly face, held pursed in a stern and unforgiving manner looked like he was in charge of the group, but not the one to be in real charge.

Next to him stands a rather voluptuous lady, curvy in a long red satin number that flows down to her high heeled feet. From her ears, neck, wrist, and fingers sparkle a fine collection of emeralds set with diamonds, small but quite expensively real.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

The couple, still contemplatively peering in at the doorway, look at each other and silently a decision is made and they go inside.

They manage to squeeze through and find an empty table in a back corner by the fireplace, where the beginnings of a large fire are in place, waiting to be lit once the cool chill of the evening fog rolls in.

 

The man seats his companion, then stands over here as they both look around in adept silence.

Across from them is the long mahogany bar, with Brute Burton standing behind, serving drinks and snarls as he is busy lording over his Pub!

 

Meanwhile, the odd stranger has seated himself with the 3 men and engages them in conversation. The lady in red, still standing, listens in, becoming quite interested in the charismatic newcomer and his many lively colourful stories…

All the while Brute Burton works his station at the bar, serving up drinks as they are ordered, sliding them down the smooth wood bar with expert precision.

Sadly, for his patience, poor Brute is in a rather worse mood than usual this evening.

Quite peeved that his favourite barmaid had up and quit the day before, having been sweet-talked into taking a job at one of his competitor’s pubs just down the street( The Jolly Jellyfish).

This has been the topic of many conversations up and down the docks all day, so much so, that everyone pretty much knows to stay clear of crossing the disgruntled publican, and Brute is quite happy with that.

So, needless to say, what happens next came as quite a surprise to a lot of people, including Brute!

 

Chapter 4

So, tell me, just what did happen next?

 

And so we shall…

For the last 45 minutes, Brute had been irately eyeing a particular table.

Not surprisingly, it was the one Jack, the 3 men, and the emerald laden sultry lady were occupying!

Or as Brue saw it.

One loud-mouthed scoundrel of a sailor, 2 tight-lipped yes men, their jolly like a snake boss whose business did not belong in his pub and some over jewelled tart in a red dress who had better be mindful of the area of town where she had been brought!

Except for the two tight lipped goons, the occupants of that table have grown more vocal, their tongues loosened by the pints of beer being consumed.

Most of the other patrons were watching them with interest, and stealing glances over to Brute to see if he was growing agitated with them.

He was, his hand polishing his mahogany bar clean was gripping the washcloth like he was strangling a chicken!!

And apparently, the attention Brute is giving the table had not gone unnoticed, for they were quite obviously talking about Brute himself, judging by the way they had all been stealing looks his way.

Seeing this also made Brute quite a bit more upset, and the chortling patrons seated at the table apparently knew it, much to his chagrin.

So it was with grinding teeth that Brute observed the thin man in the sailors' rig rise and head up, a little wobbly, towards the bar, with his fellow tablemates, the dolled-up tart, and most of the rest of the pubs drinking patrons all watching with whetted keen interest.

  

The thin sailor sat down at one end of the bar and called out cheerfully…

“Hey barkeep, a shot of the devil’s own then!”

Brute poured a bit of rotgut in a shot glass, and intending to give the young sailor a piece of mind, walked ( rather than sliding ) it over to him.

“Look ‘ere now, want no troubles from you or your friends, mate, Capish lad?”! he warned the grinning sailor in a stern tone.

Then he gave the sailor a second, closer look over...

“Aye, Wait a minute didn’t I see you in my pub last night?”

“Indeed you did my most observant sir, Indeed you did, and Jacks the name mister Brute!”

Jack offered a hand to shake, which was ignored by Brute.

Unfazed, the sailor withdrew his hand and continued:

“But my friends all call me Jackie sir, and you may call me by that, for we are all friends here in this fine establishment you own Eh Brute!”

As Jackie nodded he watched the burly, stern eyed barkeep, who did not nod in agreement to Jackie’s words!

Dead silence also greeted Jack’s question from the rest of the pub’s occupants!

Unfazed, Jackie continued…

“Came here on a lark last evening, enjoyed your fine establishment so much, decided to return!”

He still looked into Brute's eyes, but the barkeep was having none of it, no scrawny excuse for a sailor was going to butter him up!

Jackie continued smiling and said in answer to himself since no words were coming out of the mouth of a stone silent brute. The rest of the bar had grown quiet, many of the patrons standing and circling around the bar to watch, sure that this lad named Jackie was going to end up on the losing end of Brute Burton’s temper!

“No worries than my man, just here again in your fine establishment for a friendly drink.”

Jackie slid a couple of coins to the barkeep who began to pick them up.

“Say, barkeep, would you now be interested in winning few coins from a betting sailor with no’thin better to do with his money?” Jackie amiably asked the stern gazing Brute.

One could hear a pin drop in the Poet and Peasant Pub after Jackie spoke those words!

 

Chapter 5

A Challenge Given

 

Brute meanly eyed down the sailor, giving Jackie an unspoken warning to tread along this path very carefully!

Brute than warily answered.

“What the hell are you one about laddie!?”

Brute spit out the words, his hooded eyes holding back a fire waiting to ignite.

“Just this, £5 say that I can lick me right eye!

Jackie continues on, pleasantly cooing his words as he suggests the bet, acting for all the world like a mongoose playing loose with the last thread of a looming Cobra’s nerve!

Like that cobra, Brute just looked at Jackie for a full minute eyes half-closed, before opening them wide and finally saying, no snarling, his answer…

“You are on laddie, but make no mistake, better be no shenanigans! So go one then, let’s all see you lick your right eye!”

 

With a wide smile, Jackie popped out his right glass eye and licked it, before putting it back, eyeing down the now infuriated Brute.

The whole bar hushed, unbelieving as Jack held out his hand…

The bartender threw down a fiver, the look he was giving Jack would have sent most men running.

The whole bar was now watching, many jostling amongst themselves for a better look at what was going on, waiting to see what was going to befall upon this mischief-making sailor named Jackie….

Jackie, holding his ground, did not touch the pair of fivers, instead, he said, quite apologetically…

“I am so sorry chappie, that… was actually quite rude of me, I’ll admit, and after promising no shenanigans to boot. Tells you what my dear Brute, sir…”

Jackie reaches in, he pulls a wad of notes from his pocket and lays down a total of twenty on top of the fivers.

Brute, and the rest of the pub’s patrons, watch dumbfounded, the loon is making another bet they think.

And several of the patrons nearest the back exit move away, clearing a path for when Brute gives the sailor his upcoming due…

But Jack just smiles, boldly standing his ground, and speaks out cheerfully…

“Gives you a chance to make your money back, and profit!”

Jackie said with a promise.

Brute answers, snarling so loudly that some of the Poet & Peasant’s patrons actually cringed, some even stepping backwards and tripping up against those behind them….

The dolled-up tart in red, notably wearing the flickering emeralds, gasps, moving back in fear, and she trips over the man standing behind her, his female companion catches and steadies the poor lass as they, and the rest of the pub’s patrons, with to see what happens next!

 

Chapter 6

The Happening

 

Brute eyed the pile of money as he snarled…

“Oui then, let’s hear you out, last words before I show your scrawny carcass the door then, eh Laddie!”

Jackie, unperturbed, answered Brute in that sing-song manner of his...

“This lot is yours (he pointed to the pile of notes) my dear barkeep if I cannot bite my left eye!

Brute just looked at him for a very long minute, a long, quite cold minute. He finally spoke, choosing his words carefully, as he kept his temper in check….

“I didn’t know about your fake blue eye me salty lad, but I sure ‘en hell knows you ain’t blind! Your on!”

Brute pulls out a wad of his own, slapping down a total of 20 hard-earned notes on top of his fiver.

Jackie gulps down the last of his rotgut, and smiles widely, playing the pubs hushed attention for all it was worth, then taking out his false teeth, he smartly bit his left eye.

You could have heard a pin drop on the wooden saw dusted floor of the place, it was now so quiet!

The red gowned tart placed a hand to her now bare throat in excitement, her emerald earrings swaying, as a murmuring started from the crowd, everyone jostling pushed daringly forward even a bit more, knowing what should be happening next to the cunning sailor calling himself Jackie.

  

As For Jackie, he continued to smile as he adjusted his false teeth (ivory) and then nonchalantly pulled a plug of tobacco from his pocket and biting off a wad, started to chew as he looked Brute dead in the eye.

The piles of £40 in notes lay on the counter, untouched, seemingly unnoticed by either of the two, Brute or Jackie, who’s eyes were locked into the others steely gaze.

Brute finally broke the long silence, moving towards Jackie, his meaty fists gripping the bar, as if he were trying to hold them back from strangling the living daylights out of the thin sailor looking all for the world like slithering scowling cobra who had had enough from the jeering mongoose. Which he, in fact, had, had enough that is!

Brutes words came, snarling from his lips, as he said in no uncertain terms!

“Yur crackers Laddie, that is a fact… and youns have just earned a one-way ticket out of my pub, and if yur lucky, only a few of your bones will be broken when you land! …"

As he spoked his right hand detached itself from the mahogany bar, and grabbed the sailor by his blouse, intending to lift Jackie up and toss him physically from the premises!

Jackie, remaining totally unruffled by Brute's actions, laid a hand upon the Publican's wrist, and tsk’d Brute, who in surprise at the unperturbed demeanour of Jackie, actually let go of the sailors' blouse and allowed his hand to be gently taken aside and placed upon the bar.

Jackie said, with total complacently, as he chewed his tobacco…

“I know, that was not a nice thing atoll for me to do, seeing how it is my honour to be here in your fine establishment, and me playing tricks on ye, not a nice thing atoll for a patron to do”

Jackie smiled winningly up at the still bristling Brute.

“Tell ya what my fine friend, do you have a halfpenny on you perchance?”

 

Chapter 7

In for a half-penny?

 

Brute could not believe his ears, he was utterly flabbergasted at this sailors actions, but still slightly more than mite curious, like the fabled lion listening to the mouse pleading his case, wondering why this git just did not seem to understand just whom the bloody hell he was toying with?

Finally, Brute just said…

“Yeah numbskull, I do, why?

Almost to a man(and women) the whole bar was now absolutely focused on the goings-on between Brute and the sailor Jackie, never before had anyone taunted the bartender with such nerve and still was be able to stand upright…

Jack just grinned for a few seconds before speaking apologetically...

“I truly do feel bad for playing me little jokes on you, it's just me personality understand, and I am unable to control it after a few pints of the houses best, you understand my dear most gracious sir…?

Brute started to say something in answer, but Jackie quickly cut in…

“Just hear me out kind sir, and ye may find it worth your while for putting up with 'ol Jackie this evening!”

Jackie picked up his empty shot glass, looking at it as he spoke.

“See this shot glass dear, most reasonable, sir? If you would most kindly take it to the far end of your rather prettily polished bar and hold it up like you were cheering me.

I will bet your half penny against this pile of notes laying on your bar… No, Lest double it …”

Jackie lays another £40 in notes upon the pile.

“There now, £80 against your Half Penny says I can spit out this entire bit of tobacco I am chewing, and every bit of it will land dead centre inside that shot glass… If so much as a drop of it lands anywhere else, you then win the whole pot, every last pound, and pence….!”

Brute thought for a very long, thoughtful minute, trying to see all the angles, and finding none that could lose him the pot. In his mind he reasoned, how could anyone accomplish such a feat, especially a cocky drunken sailor with more mouth than sense?

“Ta, you're on lad !”

he snarled…

“But I hold the money until after your bet!”

“Agreed !” Jackie said and pushed the notes up against the shot glass. Brute picked up both the glass and notes, walked to the far end of the bar, about 3 meters, and held the glass up against his spotless white apron.

The entire bar was still in a hush, and actually had become quite crowded now as word had spread across to some of the other drinking establishments, whose curious patrons had come over to witness the goings on…most hoping to be entertained with watching a rather thorough beating of a certain thin sailor..!

Jackie just grinned…

“Ready?” he asked, on your count of three than sir…”

 

Chapter 8

One, Two, Three

 

Brute nodded and began the count.

“One, Two….Three!”

Jackie taking a mouthful of air, spit out the wad of wet brown gooey tobacco. The unsavoury mess flew across the bar, hitting Brutus, the bar, the walls…everywhere but inside the shot glass.

Realizing that he had won the bet, Brute pocketed the notes and started laughing, as he wiped the brown slime off himself, his apron, and the various surfaces of his bar.

The entire bar nervously erupted into laughter, poking themselves, and pointing towards the witless sailor and his odd games which had cost Jackie some eighty pounds!

Brute finished his cleaning and still chuckling ...

then looked over at Jackie, who was still sitting there, still smiling like had had not a care in the world!

Puzzled Brute moved back to the sailor, and addressed him rather curtly.

“Se here mate, what is it with you? Your antics here have cost you a voyages' wage, yet you sit there grinning like the whole world is your oyster.. so what of it, are you just looney or daft, or both!?”

Jackie just smiled, rising from his seat as he looked up at the bartender and tipped his cap.

“Hopefully neither my most kind sir, hopefully neither! “

Jackie looked around the bar, meeting the eyes of the curious patrons. Stopping at his table, where the weaselly eyed gent had a rather unhappy look upon his mug, the red gowned tart was just looking horrified, and the two burly bodyguards just looked stunned!

Jackie looked back upon the smirking Brute and started to explain…

“It’s like this my dear sir… See that table over yonder?”

Jackie nodded towards the table that he had been sitting at… The tart now had a silly grin on her face, the other three had not changed their expressions…

Brute over then looked back to Jackie…

“Yeah, I see the Buggers, what of it!?

Jackie smiled, placing his hands inside his trouser pockets…

“Well me lad…”

Jackie moved just a little further away from Brutes' reach as he spoke…

“It's like this… Those gentlemen back there bet me a thousand pounds against me coming up here and spitting tobacco juice over yourself and fine bar, and have you clean the mess up yourself, laughing all the while… which is exactly what you just did!”

Brute just stared at the smirking sailor, realizing that he had been played for a fool after all. Jackie was now out of reach, and so Brute just snarled at the impish sailor…

“Pick up your winnings mate, and hightail your miserable carcass outta of here…. If I ever so much as see your shadow at me door again, I will not be held responsible for my actions, he promised in no uncertain terms!”

Jackie bowed in obeisance to the Bartender, then turns and walks up to the table.

Reaching it he winks at the girl, leans over the 3 gentlemen…

“Sorry chaps you heard the keep, I must, quite sadly, be one my way!”

From the table his picks, up the pile of notes, the gentlemen lost in the bet.

Jackie moves off as the men start to protest, ignoring them, and smiling winningly at the lady in the red dress and shimmering emeralds, who smiles back.

Jackie weaves his way through the still chattering crowd, ignoring them. And without looking back, leaves the Poet & Peasant Pub.

 

Chapter 9

Wait, there’s more to this story

 

And here it is…

Jackie quickly turns a corner before finally allowing sneaking a look back.

Once he is certain that no one follows, for a £1000 is a lot of incentive for a mugging, he darts down a side alleyway.

After a series of turns up, down and doubling back down more alleyways and staying in the shadows of darkened back paths, Jack finally crosses a street and approaches another pub.

He goes inside and orders a shot of irish, watching the doorways, looking about to see if anyone shows an interest in him.

Once he is satisfied that he has not been followed, or noticed, he gulps the shot, throws a coin clattering on the bar(not as clean and shiny as Brutes), and before it stops, has slipped out a back door.

Jack darts down another alleyway leading to a train station.

But instead of going inside, Jackie lights a small black irish pipe and waits a few minutes to get it going, casually looking around.

Then, turning on his heels, he makes his way back down the alley, stopping midway, he heads up a staircase leading to a small row of apartments for let above the back of a block of the stores that front the street leading to the trainyard.

Going to one of the blackened doors, he raps a signal on the door with his knuckles.

A matching rap is heard from inside, and Jack answers with a final signal.

The door is unlocked.

Looking around to make sure no one is lurking in the alleyway below, Jack then turns the knob slowly.

Opening the door with caution, then, with a final look around, steps inside.

There were two occupants in the room, standing on either side of a bed.

Upon the bed lay a satin sheet, covering something that made small lumps from underneath.

Jack is looking upon the very couple that he had greeted at the entrance of the pub known as the Poet and Peasant!

The chap in the hounds-tooth suit had pulled from inside the sleeve of his umbrella a ling thin deadly sharp rapier, and was pointing it nastily towards the door, held up level with Jack's chest.

The attractive lady in the violet gown was holding a diminutive 2 shot derringer, cocked, she had pulled from neath her left satin glove, it too was pointing at Jack's chest.

 

“ ‘Ello put away yur ”greeters” mates, it is only meself coming to visit ya after placing life and limb in peril !”

The lass in purple satin Smirks pleasantly as she speaks…

“I don’t know about your life being in peril luv, but I would’ave taken bets against your breaking a few limbs by the way you were teasing the guv’ner who owns that bar. But should have known you would squeak it through, you put up a good job of it!”

The man in tweed grins also, then speaks as he looks at Jack, then down upon the bed as he finished.

“Yes mate, you did the talk pretty well, as usual, and played it to your advantage… and to our advantage as well!!”

Jackie and the pretty lass also look down upon the bed, as he curiously observes.

“We had a good crowd this evening didn’t we!?” And, speaking of advantage, how did we do?”

They all smile as, as the couple standing by the bed put away their weapons.

Then they both grasped the top sheet on the bed and wicked it off.

Exposing a rather impressive collection of assorted wallets small pouches of coins, both gold and silver pocket watches, diamond pins, 3 gold necklaces, a handful of shimmering rings and several glittering ladies bracelets.

Picked the patron’s pockets clean while they were all watching your antics, said Erebus, the man in the houndstooth suit.

“Including this!” triumphantly exclaimed Teddi, the lady in violet, as she delved her hand inside her gowns satin sash, extracting and showing off a rather dazzling diamond and emerald necklace.

Jackie smiled with satisfaction…

“Hoped it was you had spotted that one, red gowned tarty blondes should know better than to wear emeralds, horrible choice with fair skin. Noticed they were gone from her neck as I was leaving, hoped they hadn’t just fallen off!”

The Lass chirped cheerfully as she dangled the glistening necklace…

“Oh, they did fall off, with a little help!”

They all were grinning widely at his point.

Erebus then asked…

“So, speaking of tarts, how did you do with her chums from the casino?”

Jackie patted his pocket…

“Parted them from a £1000 of their winnings, less what I had used as to bait for the bartender!”

Erebus pulled up a heavy satchel from neath the bed, and opened it, more pretty things glittered from inside, along with assorted items that matched those laying on the bed.

It was their collective haul from the 3 nights they had been in town so far.

Teddi came around and helped Erebus start to place the items on the bed inside the satchel.

Jackie stole a look outside, making sure the way was clear.

Stepping back in he said …

“Oui now let’s finish packing it up and split ways. The train is leaving in an hour. Meet at the trains' pub car for a drink at midnight! Three strangers meeting on a train! That is what we be !”

 

The three of them grinned as the last of the items from the bed were packed away, the emerald necklace being laid in on top of the rather valuable collection residing in the satchel.

The two looked at Jack, who grinned from ear to ear…

At next town, we will divvy up this lot, and see about adding to it!”

They all nodded in eager agreement.

As Jackie continued to keep an eye outside the door, Erebus and Teddi began to quickly to finish pack up operations.

And at midnight the trio was clinking glasses of ale in celebration, happily nestled into a cozy booth at the Trains bar car!

Fini

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Author’s note

Thanks to one of my main protagonists, Eileen, who told the joke that made the gist of this story.

She winningly carried out the tale one rather blustery night, inside by a cheery fire at the actual Poet and Peasant Pub, our own dockside hangout.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The Poet and the Peasant Is a little backwater pub we have frequented for years, as young ones, my sister and I, visited and played in the vacated old chicken yard located between the back of the pub and the waters edge.

It’s a laid back place, music (Mostly live, some dead, as our saying goes). Beyond its ornate doorway, one finds the usual cast of regulars, Including us, consuming a generous selection of ales and other “demon” drinks.

The pub is housed in an ancient old building with all sorts of old Victorian-era objects, found and given a home in the pub’s numerous nooks and crannies. Including the yellowed skull of poor Erik.

Erik was a 14th-century Welsh poet and balladeer who supposedly was beheaded for making several torrid lyrics about a certain Saxon king.

The lyrics are long forgotten, but Erik’s remains still reign. His grinning skull sits high up in a shelf along a balustrade, usually with a cigar clamped in his jaws. Couldn’t tell how many times some bloke with more’ in his fill of drink has tried to light it for the poor blighter.

The pub is a regular howl around Halloween, thanks to Erik, who has obtained quite a degree of notability, despite being dead and silent for all these long years.

Costume and poetry contests abound around this time of the year.

Basically, Erik aside, the “Poet and the Peasant” is a great place to hang out and make plans with a pint in hand.

 

If anyone has ever visited our pub, give a shout out in the comments.

 

During the 1950s, France embarked on an extensive military program to produce nuclear weapons; however, it was acknowledged that existing French aircraft were unsuitable for the task of delivering the weapons. Thus, the development of a supersonic bomber designed to carry out the delivery mission started in 1956 as a part of the wider development of France's independent nuclear deterrent. In May 1956, the Guy Mollet government drew up a specification for an aerially-refuelable supersonic bomber capable of carrying a 3-metric-ton, 5.2-metre-long nuclear bomb 2,000 km (without aerial refuelling). According to aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist, the specification's inclusion of supersonic speed was "surprising" to many at the time.

 

The final specifications, jointly defined by government authorities and Dassault staff, were approved on 20 March 1957. Sud Aviation and Nord Aviation both submitted competing proposals, both based on existing aircraft; Sud Aviation proposed the Super Vautour, a stretched Sud Aviation Vautour with 47 kilonewtons (10,500 lbf) thrust SNECMA Atar engines and a combat radius of 2,700 kilometres (1,700 mi) at Mach 0.9. Dassault's proposal for what became the Mirage IV was chosen on the basis of lower cost and anticipated simpler development, being based upon a proposed early 1956 twin-engined night-fighter derived from the Dassault Mirage III fighter and the unbuilt Mirage II interceptor. In April 1957, Dassault were informed that they had won the design competition.

 

Dassault's resulting prototype, dubbed Mirage IV 01, looked a lot like the Mirage IIIA, even though it had double the wing surface, two engines instead of one, and twice the unladen weight. The Mirage IV also carried three times more internal fuel than the Mirage III. The aircraft's aerodynamic features were very similar to the III's but required an entirely new structure and layout. This prototype was 20 metres (67 ft) long, had an 11 metres (37 ft) wingspan, 62 square metres (670 sq ft) of wing area, and weighed approximately 25,000 kilograms (55,000 lb). It was considerably more advanced than the Mirage III, incorporating new features such as machined and chem-milled planks, tapered sheets, a small amount of titanium, and integral fuel tanks in many locations including the leading portion of the tailfin.

 

The 01 was an experimental prototype built to explore and solve the problems stemming from prolonged supersonic flight. At the time, no aircraft had been designed to cruise at over Mach 1.8 for long periods of time and there were sizable technological and operational uncertainties. Weapon-related issues were another issue. Building the 01 in Dassault's Saint-Cloud plant near Paris took 18 months. In late 1958, the aircraft was transferred to the Melun-Villaroche flight testing area for finishing touches and ground tests. On 17 June 1959, French General Roland Glavany, on a five-year leave from the French Air Force since 1954, took the 01 for its maiden flight.

Quote 89/100

 

I processed this photograph in Adobe Lightroom using the Whipped Cream Lightroom Preset / Queen Pack which is available to get from The Bell Sisters website.

 

FaceBook Page - Pinterest - Getty Images - Instagram

I should acknowledge that my recent identifications of Australian birds have been provided by the amazing members of the Australian Bird Identification group on Facebook. Many thanks to them.

Hi everyone we are still running crazy with the Ding Darling Photo Exhibit and dealing with Linda's mom's house!!

 

This is a special photo for us in Florida as it is almost impossible to get close to a Male Bufflehead except for this one!! It is a wild bird that just didn't mind having its photo taken!! We were also lucky enough to catch the iridescence in the Buffleheads head!! As always thanks for looking and we thank everyone for their friendship!! Kevan and Linda !!

  

Please be advised that our images are fully protected by US Copyright Law. The images may not be downloaded for personal, commercial or educational use, copied to blogs, personal websites, used as wallpaper, screensavers, or be deeplinked, etc. With NO Exceptions. If you would like to use an image, you MUST contact us to obtain written permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining written permission.

   

One style sometimes acknowledges another. There is a place of reference at the beginning that sometimes is not the conclusion, rather it reveals a pathway with significant moments upon the journey. This figure laid out on the skyline goes through all the variations of the atmospheric conditions each year wearing snow and lush green growth with light and shadow from the Sun and from clouds. The diversity of each day and night bring about variations.

 

© PHH Sykes 2023

phhsykes@gmail.com

 

Six Aboriginal language groups are the traditional owners of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area:

Darug.

Gundungurra.

Wanaruah.

Wiradjuri.

Darkinjung.

Tharawal.

 

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I work and live, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. I pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

In North Lawson Park, on the northern side of the highway, contains Fairy Falls, St Michael's Falls and Frederica Falls. Of medium difficulty it takes in waterfalls, lush vegetation, birdlife, natural ponds, views and facilities.

 

To get to this waterfall you can actually walk from the train station at Lawson and head down on the north side of the Hwy, heading towards the Lawson Swimming pool.

 

Go around the pool and past the car park and follow the signs, it basically behind the pool.

 

Once you find the track which is sign posted, the first falls you get to is Dante's Glenn which is a spectacular waterfall which can be photographed from many angles.

 

Walk down under the power lines to the start of the Empire Pass Track. There is an old metal sign pointing into the bush, with distances in miles. Follow the track through open forest for 400m (about 5 minutes) to where it passes under more power lines. Keep left at a Y-intersection, ignoring a track to the right which heads down the hill under the power lines. Continue for another 400m up a rise to a fire trail with a locked gate on your right. Cross over the fire trail onto another foot track, signposted Empire Pass (4km, 2 hours circuit Easy Grade), and follow this for 400m to a track junction.

  

Dantes Glen

Take the track straight ahead, signposted to Echo Bluff. At the first rocky outcrops, the track continues down through a slot to the left for 100m further to the lookout. There are good views of the valley below through which the Empire Pass track passes.

 

Returning to the intersection, take the other track signposted to Empire Pass, Lawson Park and Dantes Glen. This contours for 600m to a set of rocky outcrops, with a set of stone steps leading down through a cleft. This is a quick way down into the valley, but misses out on the waterfalls, so continue along the main track.

 

Another 400m along the track enters a gully and you reach the first falls. Fairy Falls can be seen dropping in several stages from a lookout on the track. A little further along the track crosses the creek just below the top falls. Just beyond here is another track junction. Left leads up to North Lawson Park, so take the right branch. After a short distance it starts to descend a set of well contstructed steps, at first gently, then more steeply until the creek is reached. Crossing a bridge at the bottom, Dantes Glen Falls can be seen on the left.

  

Dantes Glen Creek

Head downstream on the left bank for 50m before the track crosses over to the right at a sign saying No Through Access. It is about 50m upstream on the other side creek to St Michaels Falls.

 

Continuing downstream on the right bank, the track stays at the same level, while the creek drops away below. Just past a small side creek, a set of steps leads up to the short cut. This could be used as a quick way back out.

 

A little further on the track heads down steps to creek level, and crosses to the right bank. Just after crossing a minor side creek, watch for the stairs going up to the left. If you miss them, the track will peter out shortly afterwards. The track follows the cliff on the left for a few hundred metres and then returns to the creek level, crossing over and climbing up on the right side. It stays high from here as it rounds Echo Point. From here it stays on the right hand side of the creek all the way to Frederica Falls.

 

Climb up to the fire trail at Frederica Falls and cross straight over on to a foot track. This slightly scrubby track generally follows the creek before heading uphill and emerging under the power lines back at the start of the walk.

 

I will certainly re visit this lovely circuit of waterfalls after some decent rainfall !

   

ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE BEST HOTEL

 

Designed to resemble a billowing sail, the hotel soars to a height of 321 metres, dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed colour sculptures of water and fire. This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to offer.

 

www.burj-al-arab.com/

  

“Erdil travels to Cedrica to demonstrate official allegiance to Queen Ylspeth and to be acknowledged by royal decree as a swordsman in the service of the duke of Dandelume. He is accompanied by his comrades Dweldin (bowman), Boroghan (scout) and Miadin (spearman).

 

The Queen herself, preoccupied with other more urgent business of the realm and foreign emissaries, confide the affirmation of new recruits to the Cedrican administrative partition.

 

Many of these administrative offices are located in houses down by the port of the capital. Along the port and the many small canals several houses of power share the wharf with other more dubious enterprises. A system of narrow alleyways and houses cramped together create a lively place during all hours. Rats and rogues lurk about to find scraps of all sorts. The city guard patrol the area to ensure law and order among citizens of Cedrica and the many travellers visiting the capital.

 

Erdil and his small entourage visit the house of proclamation, located down by the waterfront, to receive their official letters of affirmation.”

London Central route 63: Honor Oak, Forest Hill Tavern - King's Cross, York Way

Departing Clerkenwell Road (C), towards Rosebery Avenue / Mount Pleasant (CM)

 

Pollution concerns along Putney High Street have demanded the abrupt transfer of hybrid buses to route 93. Recently introduced MHVs from Peckham (PM) have been transferred to Sutton (A) in response, however in return route 63 has ended up with buses older than its previous diesel allocation.

 

The DOEs make for an interesting change, anyway, with some 06-reg E40Ds also returning but in smaller numbers. I haven't really acknowledged the Es, but I learnt after a short journey that they are truly resemblant of the classic Trident 2 in tuning accompanied by a nice driveline.

 

©London Bus Breh 2017.

Great Blue Herons

Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Delray Beach, Florida

This is not the same "couple" photographed arguing earlier in the month...different nest. And this is not a mating ritual, it's a "welcome home honey"

No matter how jaded we may be, whether we are bird watchers or not, one must acknowledge the grace and beauty of these magnificent creatures.

Although confused and at times fearful of my life long desire to appear as a woman I do acknowledge I adore my time indulging in my female alter-ego Helene. I would be lying if I did not admit I love...absolutely love...being her and I enjoy everything about the whole cross-dressing experience.

 

I do still suffer angst and guilt about my indulgence and this is partly due to my upbringing in which such activities were condemned yet I always desired to dress up as a girl and try and pass myself off as one. I was the boy at school who wished he was a girl and yet delighted in the thrill of knowing it was an illusion.

 

Yet part of me wanted it to be real, not an illusion. I seemed to straddle this thrill of dressing up and acting as if I was a girl and part of me desiring to be a girl forever and another part of me eating away at my confidence that what I wanted to do was deemed wrong and perverted by wider society. As a teenager it caused an internal collapse of my will to set free my female self and I was too much of a coward to be true to myself.

 

I failed myself, I really did by suppressing my transgender self and denying I wanted to engage in cross-dressing activities. I doubt I will ever forgive myself for being so unfaithful to my true self and for being influenced by the society I grew up in. All of those years are lost to me and I can never get them back. I know I should have been cross-dressing in my teens and throughout my life yet I gave in to be a conformist in society.

 

I have to admit I displayed appalling weakness and I do have genuine regret about how spineless I was in suppressing my female self. I am very disappointed in myself for wasting all those years. I will never know now how I could have looked as a teenage girl or young woman, I denied myself and feared the emotional urge within me to engage in transvestism and explore my female desires.

 

I doubt anyone young will be reading this as my photos are not going to cause anyone to click on them and look let alone read my words but if by chance anyone does and they too are suppressing or fearful of their own desires to cross-dress I would urge them to explore their desire not suppress and regret the loss of self fulfilment in later years.

 

I would stress to try and do so without causing distress and upset to loved ones and friends as not everyone can accept those who like to cross-dress as the opposite gender. I have had some less than positive reactions to my own cross-dressing which taught me some valuable lessons and ensured that when I do cross-dress I can on the whole get more of a positive experience from the times I spend dressed as a woman. What I know for sure though is if you have the desire to dress as the opposite gender then it is not going to go away. In fact for one's own well being you owe it to yourself to engage in the experience at some point.

 

It's not easy and can be emotionally fraught at times being a transvestite yet it does bring joy and euphoria and feels amazing. It is something one cannot deny and ignore if it exists within you. I don't understand why I have this side to my persona but I know I feel liberation beyond description when I shave off all my body hair, pluck my eyebrows, wear make-up, lingerie, false breasts, tuck away my male genitals, don a wig, put on a dress and high heel shoes. The impact on me emotionally is elation like I never experience from anything else. I feel complete and emotionally on a complete high. I love being a woman, I know I really do enjoy the effect it has upon me, it feels good and I feel free.

 

Yet, the reality is I'm not a woman, I never will or can be. Dressing up is not what it is really like to be a woman. What do I know of the realities of being a woman? Nothing, I just dress up and try to look like a woman and try to act like one but it is nothing more than a façade, an illusion, a performance.

 

My greatest fear is that I offend women by my cross-dressing activities and acting as a female persona. I'm a complete fake, I'm not real yet I love inhabiting my Helene persona. I don't think all women welcome male to female transvestites. We will never now the realities of how women feel in our society as I feel I am merely a parody of a woman. I wish I could be a woman, deep down I really do, but ultimately I'm a man that deludes himself and the whole thing is a pretence. I can understand why women would be insulted by my actions.

 

I need to clarify this narrative is a musing I am having this morning, it is not a depressed or doom laden gloomy outburst on my part as I always enjoy my time as Helene but I think I need to be honest and admit to my doubts and my failings over the years. I have no wish to insult or offend women by dressing up and spending time as my female alter-ego but I fear I do. I also need to be aware I have no real understanding of the realities of being a woman. Even as a transvestite I fear everything I do is skewed by my being male and I inevitably see things from this perspective. It's a failing and a disappointment but I am a man dressing up, it's not the reality of being female.

 

I think my ratio is 80% positive but I do have a sizeable 20% doubt, fear, guilt and concern aspect to it all.

 

This photo represents a moment of joy for me. It was taken on a summer afternoon in early June this year and I was thrilled and emotionally free and delighted to pose in a summer dress, wig and make-up and delude myself I was a woman. A few minutes later though I felt I was being ridiculous and as expressed earlier, an insult to women by imagining I could b one of them. Transvestism is not easy to cope with as despite the positive there are inevitable concerns. I love being a transvestite despite all of this as selfishly I gain real satisfaction and contentment from the experience of being dressed as a woman but I cannot deny I have concerns about my actions as I fear upsetting others and I am also fearful in a selfish way that I look ridiculous.

 

It's a mixed bag of issues being a transvestite and I do have the huge regrets I mentioned earlier about suppressing the desire yet I have those concerns but I do genuinely love the moment I become Helene. Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry!

 

I am certain though it was the right thing to end the suppression and become a practicing transvestite. Despite the negatives it is ultimately a rewarding experience.

Irrkerlantye acknowledges the First Peoples of Australia and recognises their continuous connection to culture, community and Country. The land is depited in punctilinear style showing a mosaic of land conditions and vegetation communities by way of the different colours used. I understand that the mosaic firing of the grasslands sustains a diversity of wildlife and food sources. While some patches may be red earth exposed, yellow areas remind us of the wildflowers and of the seeding ripening grasslands. Blue may suggest areas recently burnt.

Around the perimeter of this landscape different motifs of plants, nuts, bees, grubs and other food are presented.

Across the landscape, move emus and kangaroos as evidenced by their distinctive tracks. Then from different communities come the tracks of people converging on the learning centre, Irrkerlantye, where they meet, congregate, paint, make and record music and engage in other crafts and learning.

  

Here’s my first ever NON Barbie obsession since I started collecting… say hello to Tuesday Taylor! For the uninitiated, Tuesday Taylor was released around 1975 or 76 by that historic toy company Ideal (Acknowledged inventors of the Teddy Bear and makers of such famous dolls as Little Miss Revlon, Tammy and later, the hugely successful Crissy and friends dolls whom all had hair that ‘grew’, similar to Growing Pretty Hair Barbie and Francie) to compete directly with Barbie, a year after their 18 inch doll Tiffany Taylor was released. The great gimmick about these dolls was that you didn’t have to choose between blonde or brunette …. you could have both at the twirl of the scalp! I was a kid when she was released and lots of my friends had her so she was quite successful even here in Australia, but something about that rotating scalp freaked me out back then so I didn’t care much for her… I wish I had got her back then, though, as she is actually fantastic quality (even has rooted eyelashes!) and in hindsight, had a much cooler, groovier, more sophisticated look than Miss Superstar, IMHO. She looks like she would definitely be hanging out at Studio 54 with Halston and Liza … and what about that penthouse she had? ( Now THAT, I remember wanting REALLY badly as a kid, but never got it…. STILL badly want it to this day but they are SO hard to come by now and really pricey :( . I also want the convertible summer/winter vacation home that is perfect for this version of the doll…) This was the second version released in 1977/78, called Suntan Tuesday Taylor and she has a really cool added gimmick of being able to ‘tan’ when left in the sun. My one was NRFB, (though the box was a little damaged, so I had no problem de-boxing her,) complete with that very funky and bold tribal printed cover-up, sexy gold accented bikini and those WILD sunglasses that scream 70’s. This little gal hadn’t seen the sun in 40 years so she couldn’t wait to soak up some rays like the true 70’s babe she is, (Melanoma, Shmelanoma! LOL ) And it still worked!!! She actually goes a very lovely ‘sunkissed’ golden colour all over… and yes, she got those inevitable tan lines! (They don’t show up so much in the photos, but they are there!) She also came with some ‘doodle’ stickers you can put on her skin to leave some differently shaped ‘tattoos’ when her skin tans.

 

My one has a really weird rooting pattern on the blonde side that looks like someone mistakenly started rooting the front part for the bangs that were on all the 1st versions but then stopped when they realised that this version doesn’t have them… so I am so tempted to cut her some bangs!!! But then again, it probably makes her quite unique and looks really cool when centre parted, as you can see in the shot with her cover-up on, standing next to her box.

 

Unfortunately, Tuesday didn’t last long on toy store shelves… there were a couple of versions after this, but they didn’t have the twisting scalp feature (still wanna collect them, though!) and she was gone by the time the 80’s dawned… I think that the issue was her feet. Even though she fits some of Barbie’s clothes quite well (even though, like most fashion models of her time, she’s not as busty as Barbie, and has a slightly thicker waist and more angular body) her feet are much larger, and her available footwear was quite limited…some collectors say that only the white sandals you see here were the only shoes for her, though a few told me that the Mego Cher shoes fit her quite well, and they were right, which is great as they came in many more colours so there’s more variety to match her fashions! Tuesday also had a very cool friend that I was thrilled to get, so she will be making her debut soon, along with some very HTF minty fashions of hers. In the meantime, check out these very cool Tuesday Taylor commercials on YouTube (The first one is of that earlier, larger doll Tiffany Taylor.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA2lOTHeqpc

 

Doz Cabezas, AZ, (est. 1879, pop. <25), elevation 5,082 ft. (1,549 m)

 

"The Dos Cabezasite is the only person on the globe who can sit serenely down and smile, and smile again, amid conditions and adversities which would madden a lowly follower of the lamb. When Gabriel blows his horn he will find some of these genial old fellows sitting on a rock telling each other of the promising future of the camp, or how rich the Juniper mine is." —“Tombstone Epitaph,” 28 Apr 1887

 

• Dos Cabezas, AZ is a "living" Sonoran Desert ghost town with few remaining residents • located in the Sulphur Springs Valley [photo] of Cochise County • lies beside the Dos Cabezas ("Two Heads") mountain range, named for its twin bald summits

 

• an historically significant spring with potable water, once known as Dos Cabezas Spring, stands about a half mi. southwest of the town by the old Southern Emigrant Trail, a principal artery of the westward movement • the trail descends to the valley from Apache Spring through Apache Pass

 

• on 4 Sep 1851, John Russell Bartlett & his Boundary Survey Commission were heading west through what was, for over 300 yrs., Spanish/Mexican territory • most of the land had been ceded to the U.S. in 1848, ending the controversial Mexican-American War, but much of southernmost Arizona & New Mexico remained under the Mexican flag • Bartlett's mission was to work with a Mexican survey team to formally define the post-war US-Mexico border

 

• the survey was a prelude to the 1853-54 Gadsden Purchase which, for $10MM, acquired 29,670 sq. mi. of Mexican territory south of the Gila River, Cochise County included • the deal was signed by President Franklin Pierce, a northern, anti-abolitionist ("doughface") Democrat • it was intended to facilitate development of a road, canal and/or New Orleans-LA railroad, & to open the southwest to Southern expansion, seemingly ignoring the fact that an economy based on slave-produced cotton was unlikely to flourish in the desert — “Cochise and his Times”

 

• with potable water a precious commodity for both 2- & 4- legged desert travelers, Apache Spring – like many watering holes – became the site of a stagecoach stop c. 1857 • was operated by the San Antonio-San Diego "San-San" Mail Line, commonly known as "Jackass Mail" • Chiricahua Apache attacks made Apache Pass the most perilous stop on the line's Birch Route [map], named for company owner James Birch (1827-1857) —“The West is Linked”

 

• the 1,476 mi. daylight-only journey — with daily stops for 2 meals (45 min. each) & team switches (5-10 min.) — typically took less than 30 days & could be as few as 22 • a one-way ticket cost $150, meals & 30 lb. baggage allowance included —“Deconstructing the Jackass Mail Route”

 

• the Jackass line had a fleet of celerity (mud) wagons, vehicles suited for travel in intense heat over rugged terrain • it also operated fifty 2,500 lb. Concord stagecoaches [photo] manufactured by the Abbot Downing Co. in Concord, NH

 

"To feel oneself bouncing—now on the hard seat, now against the roof, and now against the side of the wagon—was no joke. Strung beneath the passenger compartment, wide leather straps called 'thorough braces' cradled the coach, causing it to swing front to back. Motion sickness was a common complaint, and ginger root was the favored curative." —Historynet

 

• each stage could accommodate 9-12 passengers on three benches inside & up to 10 more on the roof • the coaches were drawn by four- & six-mule teams • the company maintained 200 head of mules in its western corrals

 

“The coach was fitted with three seats, and these were occupied by nine passengers. As occupants of the front and middle seats faced each other, it was necessary for these six people to interlock their knees; and there being room inside for only ten of the twelve legs, each side of the coach was graced by a foot, now dangling near the wheel, now trying in vain to find a place of support..." —”The History of Stagecoaches in Tucson, Arizona”, Bob Ring

 

• Tips For Stagecoach Travelers, “Cowboy Chronicles”

 

• The Passenger Experience, “Desert USA”

 

"The company recommended that each passenger:... should provide himself with a Sharp's rifle, (not carbine,) with accoutrements and one hundred cartridges, a navy sized Colts revolver and two pounds of balls, a belt and holster, knife and sheath..." —“San Diego Herald” 21 Nov 1857

 

• the line's stations were built 10-40 mi. apart • some provided rudimentary sleeping accommodations; all had water for passengers, drivers ("whips") & their teams • equipped with corrals, the depots served as relay stations where drivers & draft animals were changed • "swing stations" provided no meals, but larger "home stations," often operated by families, were "meal stops":

 

"…tough beef or pork fried in a grime-blackened skillet, coarse bread, mesquite beans, a mysterious concoction known as 'slumgullion,' lethally black coffee, and a 'nasty compound of dried apples' that masqueraded under the name of apple pie." —True West

 

• in Sept 1857 Jackass founder James Birch, sailing to California via Panama, was lost at sea along with 419 other passengers & 30K lbs. of gold, in the S.S. Central America disaster • that same month, the Butterfield-Overland Mail line [photos] began St. Louis to San Francisco service, gradually displacing the Jackass line & absorbing many of its stations

 

• by 1858 a new, fortified stone depot, Ewell's Stage Station [photo] , rose 4 mi. south of Dos Cabezas Spring • it's unclear which stage line erected the building, but around the time of its completion Jackass Mail quit the route, Butterfield-Overland later decided to bypass "Ewell's" & by 1861 it lay in ruins, destroyed by Apaches

 

• the Ewell name lived on at a tiny, hardscrabble settlement called Ewell Springs & at Dos Cabezas Spring, renamed Ewell's Spring when the original station was built • by 1879 the National Mail & Transportation Co. had established a new Ewell's Station

 

• Virginia-born Richard Stoddert "Baldy" Ewell (1817-1872) was a Captain in the First U. S. Dragoons, stationed in the Southwest in the 1850s • he resigned from the U.S. Army in 1861 to join the Confederacy • served in the Civil War as senior commander under Stonewall Jackson & Robert E. Lee • it has been argued that his decisions at the Battle of Gettysburg may have decided the outcome of that engagement

 

• during Ewell's service in the West, Gila Apache raids along the Southern Emigrant Route prompted a military response • he advocated unrestrained combat: "How the Devil can a soldier stop in the midst of battle and summon a jury of matrons to decide whether a redskin pouring bullets into the soldier is a woman or not." • the 1857 Bonneville Expedition, in which Ewell commanded about 300 men, engaged against Apaches at the Gila River

 

"…the June 27 fight... was short and sweet …Ewell walking away with the lion's share of the honors… Scarcely an Apache escaped. Nearly 40 warriors were killed or wounded and 45 women and children taken captive. … Ewell was freely acknowledged as the hero of the day; his unhesitating leap to action crushed the western Apaches and forced them to sue for peace." —“Robert E. Lee's Hesitant Commander”, Paul D. Casdorph

 

• From Lt. John Van Deusen Du Bois's account of the engagement: "An Indian was wounded and his wife carried him in her arms to the chaparral and was covering him with brush when the troops came upon them and killed them both... One fine looking Indian brave was captured and by Col. Bonneville's desire, or express command, was taken out with his hands tied and shot like a dog by a Pueblo Indian—not 30 yards from camp... May God grant that Indian fighting may never make me a brute or harden me so that I can act the coward in this way..." —“Journal of Arizona History”, Vo. 43, No. 2, Arizona Historical Society

 

• c. 1850, gold veins & a few gold nuggets were discovered around Ewell's Station • in the 1860s wildcatters found gold on both sides of the Dos Cabezas range • by 1862 claims were staked & worked near the mountains & in the Apache Pass area —“Index of Mining Properties”

 

• in 1866 Congress passed a mining act that proclaimed "mineral lands of the public domain... free and open to exploration and occupation" • in 1872 additional stimulus was provided to "promote mineral exploration and development… in the western United States" —“Congressional Research Service”

 

• in 1878 John Casey (c. 1834-1904), an immigrant from Ireland, staked the first important claim in the Dos Cabezas area • the Juniper, locally known as the "Casey Gold," was located just ~2 miles NE of Ewell's Spring • John & his brother Dan moved into a cabin at the site • by the end of the year a dozen employees were working the mine

 

• the news that Casey had struck pay dirt & word that a Southern Pacific RR station would soon be built at Willcox – just 14 mi. away – lured scores of prospectors, e.g., Simon Hansen (1852-1929), a recent immigrant from Denmark who filed 27 claims • with the arrival of the new settlers, a small school was erected • on 20 Oct, 1878, the Dos Cabezas Mining District was officially designated

 

• in 1879 the “Arizona Miner” reported rich silver & gold deposits & claimed a population at Ewell Springs of 2,000 • other accounts, however, suggest that prior to 1920 the local population probably never exceeded 300 —“The Persistence of Mining Settlements in the Arizona Landscape”, Jonathan Lay Harris, 1971

 

• amid the rapid growth of 1879, the Ewell Springs settlement gave way to Dos Cabezas, a town with its own post office located a bit uphill from Ewell • John Casey is generally considered its founder • Mississippi-born James Monroe Riggs (1835-1912), once a Lt. Col. in the Confederate Army, became Dos Cabezas' 1st postmaster & opened a store he named Traveler's Rest

 

• by 1880 the nascent town had ~30 adobe houses & 15 families • sixty-five voters were registered in 1882, the year the town's newspaper, the “Dos Cabezas Gold Note”, launched, then promptly closed • in 1884, 42 students enrolled in the town's school

 

• at its height, Dos Cabezas had ~50 buildings, 3 stores, 3 saloons, 2 dairies, carpenter shops, telegraphic facilities, a mercantile, barber shop, butcher, brewery, brickyard, hotel, dancehall, boarding house, blacksmith shop, 3 livery stables, 3 stamp mills for gold ore & about 300 residents though actually, the area's population was at least 1,500 counting prospectors, miners & other mining co. employees living in the nearby mountains & valleys —Books in Northport

 

• Dos Cabezas ("Two Heads") was often spelled & pronounced "Dos Cabezos" with an "o" replacing the 2nd "a" in "Cabezas" • the postmaster settled on both spellings, as seen in the town's postmarks • the English translation of Dos Cabezos is "Two Peaks," arguably a more accurate — if less poetic — description of the twin summits than the original • given that the erroneous version was only name registered at U.S. Post Office Department in Washington DC, the interchangeable spellings persisted well into the 20th c.

 

• in 1880 the railroad arrived in Arizona, a station was established at Willcox & a cranky Scotland-born miner, John Dare Emersley (1826-1899), arrived at Dos Cabezas to prospect for mineral deposits • J.D. was a grad of the U. of Edinburgh, a writer well-versed in science & a botanical collector with a drought-tolerant grass, muhlenbergia emersleyi (bull grass), named for him • was a correspondent for the Engineering & Mining Journal • several other magazines including Scientific American also published him

 

• according to a miner who knew him, Emersley was apparently a greedy – and unusually tall – claim jumper: "Every old settler in the Globe District remembers Emersley, a seven foot Scotchman who had more claims located than he could work, and jumped more than he could hold." -“Arizona Silver Belt” (Globe, AT), 06 Jan 1883

 

• the "Scotchman" soon found a gold deposit & staked about 20 claims • he built a cabin nearby at an elevation of ~6,000 ft., & lived a reclusive life • entered into a pact with God, vowing not to develop any of his claims unless he received a sign from above • nevertheless, the work legally required to retain title to his claims produced several tunnels, one, the Roberts, 160' long • the sign from God never materialized and while awaiting it, Emersley died of scurvy

 

• shortly thereafter “Starved Amid His Riches”, the story of J.D. Emersley, a religious recluse who lived & died on a "mountain of copper," appeared in newspapers throughout the country • Emersley willed his claims to the Lord to be used for the good of all mankind • though this final wish was never fulfilled, the "mountain of copper" story brought yet another wave of prospectors to the Mining District & sparked a local copper boom

 

• in 1899 a new town, Laub City, was being laid off at the mouth of Mascot Canyon, 2 mi. above Dos Cabezas • John A. Rockfellow (1858-1947) [photo], author of "The Log of an Arizona Trailblazer," performed the survey • Rockefeller's sister was Tucson architect Anne Graham Rockfellow (1866-1954), an MIT grad & designer of the landmark El Conquistador Hotel [photo]

 

• the townsite was near the Emersley claims, which had been acquired by Dos Cabezas Consolidated Mines • America's coast-to-coast electrification required countless miles of copper power lines, thus "copper camps" like Laub City proliferated & prospered • the town grew & by 1900 warranted its own post office

 

• Laub City was named for (and possibly by) Henry Laub (1858-1926), a Los Angeles investor born in Kentucky to German-Jewish immigrants • made his first fortune as a liquor merchandiser • later invested in mining, oil & Southeast Arizona real estate

 

"There is every reason to believe that Dos Cabezas will be one of the greatest mining districts of Arizona" —Henry Laub, 1902

 

• a worldwide surge in mining caused copper prices to fall as supply outstripped demand • several mining concerns colluded to restrict production in a failed attempt to stabilize the market • Consolidated Mines' financing subsequently dried up & by 1903 Laub City was a ghost town • Dos Cabezas also suffered from the mine closings but managed to hang on as some mines continued to operate

 

• in 1905 a Wales-born mining engineer, Capt. Benjamin W. Tibbey (1848-1935), arrived in town with a "Mr. Page" • Ben Tibbey's mining career began as a child in a Welch mine • Page was actually T.N. McCauley, a Chicagoan with a checkered career in investment & finance • the two surveyed the mining district • McCauley apparently remained, later claiming he had resided in Emersly's abandoned shack for 2 yrs. • he also quietly filed & acquired claims covering 600 acres

 

• in June, 1907 McCauley, organized the Mascot Copper Company with a capitalization of $10MM & began large scale development • euphoric reports of massive ore deposits appeared in the local press, e.g., "Many Thousands of Tons of Ore in Sight— Property Bids Fair to Become Arizona's Greatest Copper Producer"

 

• in 1909 Mascot acquired control of Dos Cabezas Consolidated Mines Co., the original Emersley claims that Laub's group had purchased • McCauley launched a campaign to sell Mascot stock at $3/share, later $4 & finally $5 • his extravagant promotions included investor & press junkets to the mine in private railroad cars, wining & dining at the property's Hospitality House & a lavish stockholders' banquet at the Fairmont Hotel In San Francisco, with the company logo, a swastika, prominently on display [photo]

 

"The management of the Mascot has to its credit a remarkable series of sensational ore discoveries and few, if any other copper mining companies can match their enviable record in point of actual tonnage when at the same stage of development." —Bisbee Daily Review, 10 Mar 1910

 

• though stock analysts familiar with McCauley's history as a con artist cautioned their clients, by August, 1910 reports had sales at $300,000 • shareholders owned 25% of the company, the remainder was retained by the promoters

 

• while actual mining & ore shipments were limited, the company announced that a store, a boarding house, sleeping quarters for employees, & a new office building had been completed • in 1912, as Mascot continued its costly build out & occasionally shipped ore, Arizona Territory gained statehood

 

• in 1914, the company launched the Mascot Townsite & Realty Co. to sell lots in a new town they were developing in Mascot Canyon:

 

"UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSONAL PROFIT By the Purchase of a Lot In the MASCOT TOWNSITE This new town should have a population of 5000 within a few years." - May 1915

 

• by 1915 the town of Mascot had been established • homes accessed by winding paths rose one above another on terraces • residents pitched in to build a community hall in a single day • a band called the "Merry Miners" was organized to play at Saturday-night dances

 

"King Copper, the magic community builder, has once more raised his burnished scepter—and once more a tiny mining camp, a mere speck of Arizona landscape, has received the industrial stimulus which should shortly transform it into a factor to be reckoned with among the bustling little cities of the southwest… The tiny mining camp of the past was Dos Cabezas. The coming city is Mascot. —El Paso Herald, 25 Jun 1915

 

• within 10 yrs. the town would boast ~100 buildings & a population of ~800 • its children were educated at Mascot School & a second school, with 4 teachers between them • many of the town's boys "grew up panning gold to earn money" —Arizona Republic, 04 Mar 1971

 

• though most of the area's Mexican residents lived in Dos Cabezas, a few, like Esperanza Montoya Padilla (1915-2003), resided in Mascot:

 

"I was born in Mascot, Arizona, on August 28, 1915… In the early days, when I was a young child, Mascot was very built up; it was blooming. It was also a beautiful place. There were a lot of Cottonwood and oak trees on the road going up towards the mine and streams coming down the mountain. The school was on that road along with a grocery store and even a pool hall. There was a confectionery in the pool hall where they sold goodies like ice cream and candy. There was a community center on the hill where they showed movies. I remember silent movies with Rudolph Valentino. Even the people from Dos Cabezas came up to Mascot for the movies.

 

At Christmas they put up a tree in the community center, and all the children in town would get their Christmas presents. There was a road coming up from Dos Cabezas to Mascot and all kinds of houses along that road all the way up to the mine. Our house was on that road. I remember a time when everything was caballos – horses pulling wagons. The cars came later of course. —Songs My Mother Sang to Me

 

• on January 27, 1915, a celebration in Willcox marked the beginning of construction of the Mascot & Western Railroad • a large crowd watched a jubilant T. N. McCauley turn the first shovelful of dirt • the final spike - a copper one - was driven 15 June, 1915 at The Mascot townsite, followed by a "monstrous barbecue" for 4,000 guests [photos] • activities included a tour of a mine and the company's "2-mile" (10,6000') aerial tramway [photo]

 

"I feel that only great and lasting good can come of this project. It not only means that the Mascot, in itself, is established but it means that many people, who have known Arizona only a place in the desert before, may take home with them the idea of permanency which we enjoy in this great commonwealth." — H.A. Morgan, Bisbee Daily Review, 27 Jun 1915

 

• in 1916 a drought ravaged the mining district — wells dried up, cattle died & many mines shut down • on 1 July 1917, American Smelting & Refining took out a 20 yr. lease on the Mascot property only to relinquish it less than a yr. later, presumably because the operation was losing money

 

• with Mascot Copper facing insolvency, McCauley reorganized it via merger • the "new" Central Copper Co. began operations 15 Feb 1919 • McCauley devised a multi-level marketing scheme where stockholders became stock salesmen • the price was set at $0.50/share, purchases limited to $100/person with $10/mo. financing available • the salesmen, using portable hand-cranked projectors, screened movies of the property at small gatherings of prospective buyers

 

• reportedly 70,000 stockholders invested & were stunned as the price dropped 50% when the stock hit the market • lawsuits were filed • in a display ad published in several newspapers, McCauley denied each charge against the company

 

• by Jan, 1924, McCauley reported $4,500,000 spent on new construction • by 1926 400 employees were on the payroll, but output of the mines proved marginal • in 1927 stockholders were informed that falling copper & silver prices dictated that ore extraction be reduced to the minimum necessary to cover operating expenses

 

• the following year the enterprise was taken over by Southwestern Securities Corporation, a holding company • by late 1929 the payroll was down to 26 employees • on February 29, 1932, Southwestern Securities purchased the Mascot Company at public auction for $100,000 • McCauley promptly moved to Tucson, was implicated in a bank scandal, fled to California then disappeared without a trace —“A history of Willcox, Arizona, and Environs”, Vernon Burdette Schultz

 

• with the failure of Central Copper [photo] & exodus of miners, Dos Cabezas began its final descent, although not devoid of diversions • in spite of frequent mine closings & the onset of the Great Depression, the town fielded a team in the Sulphur Springs Valley Baseball League, which also included a squad representing a C.C.C. camp • Willcox had 2 teams in the league, the Mexicans & the Americans

 

• among the dwindling Dos Cabezas population was Jack Howard, the man who "sharpened the first tools that opened up the first gold discoveries of Dos Cabezas district" & spent his last 30 yrs. with Mary Katherine Cummings, history's "Big Nose Kate" [photo], memorialized in movies as Katie Elder —“Tombstone Daily Prospector”

 

• John Jessie “Jack” Howard (1845-1930) was born in Nottingham, England • as one of the first miners in the Dos Cabezas mining district, he is memorialized by Howard Peak & Howard Canyon • lived in the hills near Dos Cabezas • remembered as a crusty churl who hid in a manhole behind his shack to fire at intruders as they rode into range • on the other hand, some of his fellow Dos Cabezans considered him friendly • divorced his wife Mary who, according to court records, "displayed a vile and disagreeable disposition coupled with frequent outbursts of the most violent temper until she made his life a burden he could stand no longer.”

 

"…witnesses testified about Mary’s barrage of insults that included publicly calling Howard a white-livered son of a b—. She kept a filthy house, never washed dishes or clothing and even threatened to burn down his house and poison his stock." —“He Lived with Big Nose Kate”, True West

 

• Mary Katherine "Big Nose Kate" Horony (1850-1940) was born in Pest, Hungary, 2nd oldest daughter of Hungarian physician Miklós Horony • emigrated to the U.S. with her family in 1860 • placed in a foster home after her parents died • stowed away on a steamboat to St. Louis, where she became a prostitute • in 1874 was fined for working as a "sporting woman" (prostitute) in a "sporting house" (brothel) in Dodge City, KS, run by Nellie "Bessie" Ketchum, wife of James Earp [video (8:59)]

 

• moved to Fort Griffin, TX in 1876 • met dentist John "Doc" Holliday, who allegedly said he considered Kate his intellectual equal • Kate introduced Holliday to Wyatt Earp • Doc opened a dental practice but spent most of his time gambling & drinking

 

• the couple fought regularly, sometimes violently • according to Kate they married in Valdosta, Georgia • moved on to AZ Territory where Kate worked as a prostitute at The Palace Saloon in Prescott • they parted ways but she rejoined Holliday in Tombstone [photos] • claimed to have witnessed the 26 Oct 1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral from her window at C.S. Fly's Boarding House

 

• 19 years later Kate, nearly 50 [photo] & divorced from an abusive husband, was long past her romance with Doc & too old for prostitution • in June 1900, while employed at the Rath Hotel [photo] in Cochise, AT, she answered a want ad for a housekeeper at $20/mo. plus room & board • the ad had been placed by Jack Howard • Kate lived with him as his employee ("servant" according to the 1900 census) until 1930

 

• on 3 January, Kate walked 3 mi. to the home of Dos Cabezas Postmaster Edwin White.

 

“Jack died last night, and I stayed up with him all night.”

 

• Howard was buried in an unmarked grave in Dos Cabezas Cemetery • after living alone for 2 yrs. Kate sold the homestead for $535.30 • In 1931 she wrote Arizona Gov. George W.P. Hunt, requesting admission to the Arizona Pioneers Home at Prescott • although foreign born thus not eligible for admission, she claimed Davenport, Iowa as her birthplace & was accepted • she died 5 days shy of her 90th birthday • was buried under the name "Mary K. Cummings" in the Home's Cemetery—“Big Nose Kate, Independent Woman of the Wild West” —Kyla Cathey

 

• the Mascot Mine closed in 1930

 

• the Mascot & WesternRailroad discontinued operations in 1931 — the tracks were taken up four years later

 

• 1940s Dos Cabezas photos

 

• in 1949, the U.S. Postal Dept. corrected its spelling of the town's post office from Dos Cabezos to Dos Cabezas

 

• mid-20th c. Dos Cabezas family [photos]

 

• the Dos Cabezas's post office was discontinued in 1960

 

• in 1964 the town's population was down to 12

 

• McCauley's Mascot Hospitality House was repurposed as part of the Dos Cabezas Spirit & Nature Retreat Bed & Breakfast [photo]

 

• today, Dos Cabezas is considered a ghost town, its cemetery the town's main attraction

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3: 5-6

  

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

Hebrews 11: 1

   

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness " ~ 2 Timothy 3:16

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Testimony

  

I have many christian testimonies of God's intervention but I will share with you the latest one TODAY ! .

 

My husband had a bike accident last week , had injury on his forehead and on area surrounding the eye ,but not fatal , one important thing it missed his eye , could have been so bad , but his whole arm was on plaster cast for days due to fracture on his radius . He is off sick from work , added to that ,it makes things with me bit more tough in the house . We normally share household chores as we are both working . For one thing I don't like shopping groceries . I just make the lists and he will do one big shopping once a week .It's normal routine since the beginning even before we got married .We always have this arrangements with chores .I cook , he cooks ,but now I will do all that . I felt it was tough in the last few days .

 

Just when this accident happened he was in such agony and went to A&E ( Accident and Emergency ). I prayed to God ,like a conversation, he wouldn't have fractures . But he came out and diagnosed having fractured his radius shown from the X-ray results . His arm was put on a plaster cast soon and to be seen again soon . It was a bit tough on him especially being stuck and can't do much things .

 

Came the time today of another hospital check on his arm - the result was ,they can't see any fracture from another X-ray , buffled , they said he was misdiagnosed . He came with a soft splint in his arm for the bruise , not even a sprain ,I can't see much bruise either , he is not anymore in such pain .He 's back on his bike today . :) -- and volunteered it's his turn to cook dinner ( while I am posting this one on flickr :) He didn't know I was writing about him in my post . How good God is - you see :)

 

Praise God for the healing !

 

GOD IS SO GOOD !

  

If you love God and delight in Him and His righteous ways ,he will be right with you when you need Him .Make sure you dial the right number --- through Jesus Christ alone !

 

Because there's no name given under heaven whereby we are save and put right with God !

   

The Bible said so :

 

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ~Acts 4:12

 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. " John 3 : 16

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    

Walid Shoebat , a former muslim talks of Christianity and Islam eschatology , Jesus and Muhammad , muslims ,christians and Jews ,cresent moon , Israel , Anti-christ , the coming big events in the middleast etc .Very interesting - he has the points ,it sounds right when you have prior background awareness with old testamment prophecies. I just don't agree of him ignoring the Vatican / Toman Catholic church in the prophecies and its big involvement in the end time scenario /one world government -one world religion which the Vatican is promoting .Yet his discussion of Islam on another branch of eschatology hard to ignore . This isn't an indignation to our muslim brothers and sisters but as an encouragement for many to also try looking into the Bible ,have a comparatve reading with Quran - read it , heartily pray and search for truth .

 

* Prophecy 101 by Walid Shoebat

    

* Walid Shoebat : ISLAM IN BIBLE PROPHECY

   

* Walid Shoebat : End Times Today ( Quran and the Bible , Christianity and Islam , Israel and long persecution,Satan ,Angle of light , great deception , Biblical prophetic associations connected with the Quran / symbols ,Muhammad ,Revelations )

   

SIGNS OF THE TIMES :

    

* What Happens When You Ignore God's WARNINGS

  

* Paul Begley : Bank of England "Plans" for Euro Collapse

 

* Chagas Disease, an incurable infection, called the ‘new AIDS of the Americas'

 

* Quake reveals day of Jesus' crucifixion, researchers believe

    

* Saudis Suppy 90% of Jihad funding

 

* How can 1.2bn people be identified quickly?

 

* Money Flies Out of Spain, Regions Pressured

    

* The Pacific Ocean Is Dying: Special Report On Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe

   

* Fukushima Reactor 4 poses massive global risk

  

* JERUSALEM POST: Yielding Temple Mount would be a fatal mistake

 

* Steve Quayle : Severe Warning !

  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I'm still so busy at the moment and hardly be able to spend extented time on flickr ,so I wouldn't be visting your photo streams sooner or answer your emails. But many thanks of your visits and kind comments .Take care friends ,I'll see you later :)